Lost and Found
by jilldavis1
Summary: Now Complete. Holtz returns from Quor-Toth with Angel's child, only in this story, it's a six-year-old girl. How will Angel cope with hair bows and tea parties? Read and find out.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They are the property of Joss Whedon or other writers from the Angel television show. Some of the incidents in my story also originally happened on the show and may just be changed around a bit here.

Author's Note: In this story, Angel had a baby girl instead of a boy. After that, all original events are the same up until the part where Holtz and Connor come back and Connor is 16. In my story, when the monster falls out of the ceiling of the Hyperion followed by Holtz, he is holding a six-year-old girl named Katherine – Angel's daughter.

Lost and Found

Chapter 1

For a moment it was as though time were standing still. Angel heard only silence, though in reality the noise made by the monster that had just fallen from the ceiling was quite deafening. Angel was aware that those around him were frantically fighting off the beast with whatever they could lay their hands on. His instincts told him to move, to fight. But Angel was frozen where he stood. His eyes were locked with the eyes of the second being that had fallen through the portal. Eyes he had stared into before. Eyes he had watched grow heavy with sleep many nights. As his mind groped desperately for an explanation, his gaze shifted ever so slightly to the left and everything became clear. Holtz. Those were also eyes he would never be able to forget for they held unimaginable hatred. Righteous hatred. Justified hatred. And if this truly was Holtz, then his eyes hadn't deceived him. The child he held was…

Just then, Angel was knocked backward against the wall behind him. Suddenly, reality came crashing back. He grabbed the sword that was lying next to the motionless body of his friend Gunn. Quickly, instinct took over and he rushed forward and rammed the beast through the neck with the shiny blade. Angered, the monster turned to Holtz and the little girl. Holtz quickly dropped the child, ordering her to hide. She ran behind the counter and ducked down as far as she could. Holtz drew his sword and attempted to charge the beast. Just as he got close, the giant monster sank his enormous teeth into Holtz's side. Blood poured out in streams as Holtz screamed in agony. Angel moved in and sliced the blade of the sword cleanly through the neck of the great beast, severing it's head. With an ear-splitting screech, the beast dissolved into a gooey puddle in the middle of the lobby floor.

For a long moment, no one moved. Fred spoke first. "Gunn, are you all right?" "Say something."

Slowly, Gunn sat up. "Damn," was all he could manage.

Everyone else began to take stock as well, first of themselves then of the others and the room. Everyone that is, except Angel. He was looking for only one person. A very small person. A very small person with very familiar eyes. He caught a glimpse of blond just around the edge of the counter and walked very slowly towards it. As he rounded the counter and looked down a tiny voice asked "Is it dead?"

Angel squatted down so that he was eye level with the child. "Yeah, it's dead."

"Is Daniel dead?" the girl asked.

Angel immediately noticed that the child had said "Daniel". Not "Dad" but "Daniel."

"I don't know. You sit right here for just a sec and I'll go and check on him." The girl nodded.

Angel went to where Holtz lay bleeding. Gunn and Lorne were already kneeling beside him. "How bad is it?" Angel asked.

"Too bad," Gunn replied.

"Or not," added Fred.

Angel looked toward the counter where the girl was still cowering. "Guys. I know what Holtz did and I know how much we all hate him but right now we have to do whatever we can to help him." He nodded toward the counter. "For her sake."

"Why should we?" asked Fred. "Who is that little girl?"

"My daughter," Angel answered.

Fred and Gunn stared at him. "Say what?" Gunn was floored. "Man, I know you been missin' her and it must seem like she's been gone forever but Angel, Bro', it's only been a month. Even out here in the California sunshine, kids don't grow that fast."

"Maybe not in California, but apparently they do in Quor-toth," said Cordelia. "It's that whole other dimension time thing. A day here could be like a year or whatever there."

"Katherine?" It was Holtz. He had begun to rouse.

Angel kneeled down next to him. "Lie still. Don't try to move. Katherine's fine. You kept her safe. Again. Thank you. For then and for now."

Holtz struggled to sit up, but could not. "I need to talk to her. I have to tell her. Katherine!"

A small figure emerged from behind the counter and walked across the floor to Holtz. "Daniel? Are you all right?"

Holtz could barely speak. "No, child."

The girl looked at him hopefully. "But you will be, right?"

Holtz shook his head and motioned to Angel to come closer. "Katherine, this is your father. This is where you belong. It is where you have always belonged. Please forgive me." That was all. Holtz closed his eyes and died.

The girl looked at Angel. "Is he dead?"

Angel didn't want to upset her. In fact, it took every bit of restraint in his body not to reach out and grab her and squeeze her close and never let go. But he knew he was a stranger to her. He didn't want to frighten her on top of everything else. He had no choice. He had to be gentle but honest. He placed his hand softly on her back. "Yes. He is. I am so sorry."

Katherine stared at Holtz for a long moment and then turned her eyes to Angel. "Is it true? Are you my father?"

Angel met her searching gaze with tears in his eyes. "Yes."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Katherine sat in a chair in Angel's office sipping the cup of water Fred had gotten for her. "This water is very cold. Your stream must be close."

"Stream?" Fred looked amused. "Honey, there's no stream. Our water comes from a faucet. It's attached to a pipe that brings water from the ground indoors. The faucet is right in there in the bathroom." Fred pointed.

"What's a bathroom?" asked Katherine. Fred smiled again.

"Maybe I'll explain about that a little later, you know, when it's just us girls."

"What's your name?" Katherine asked.

"My name is Fred. And that's Gunn over there with the big lump on his head, and that green guy is Lorne."

Katherine scowled. "He's a demon."

Lorne shifted uncomfortably but managed a little smile.

"Lorne is our friend," Fred explained.

Lorne chanced a bigger smile and leaned down to Katherine. "Well, you are just a little cutie patootie, honey," he said as he offered her his hand.

Katherine shrank backward in her chair and Lorne retreated.

Gunn nodded to Lorne. "Hey, man. How 'bout a hand out in the other room?" Lorne gladly went with Gunn and Fred followed them out.

Cordelia assumed they were going to take care of Holtz's body and thought it would be a good idea to try to distract the girl. Cordelia came over and sat down in the chair next to Katherine.

"I'm your Aunt Cordy. I know this must all seem pretty scary to you. A strange place, all these new people. But I want you to know that you're safe here. You don't remember us, but we all love you and everything is going to be okay. I promise."

Cordelia reached out her arms to Katherine. Katherine seemed open to the idea of a hug from her new Aunt Cordy and allowed herself to be folded into Cordelia's arms. She enjoyed a brief moment of comfort but then sat up straight and looked at her father.

"You're Angel. Daniel told me all about you."

Angel looked concerned. "What did he tell you?"

"That you're a monster. That you killed his family. That you killed a lot of families. He told me you're a vampire."

Angel looked at her evenly. "What do you know about vampires?"

"I know they're evil. That they kill people and drink their blood. Do you drink blood?"

Angel knew there was no point in making things anything other than what they were. She was his child. She would have to live in his world the way it was. He knew he needed to be honest with her right from the start.

"I drink pig's blood." Angel answered simply. "I am a vampire, but I'm not evil. Back then, when I did the things Holtz told you about, I wasn't the same person."

Katherine looked confused. "How can a person be anyone other than who they are?"

This was not going to be easy to explain. Angel began, "It's complicated. I don't know how…I mean…you have to understand…I didn't…"

As Angel attempted to stammer out an explanation, Katherine noticed the activity in the lobby and asked, "What are they going to do with him?"

Katherine looked worried and Cordelia took her hand. "Lorne and Gunn have to take him now. They need to…to bury him. I'm sure they'll find a nice place where he can be at peace."

Katherine's face relaxed a little. Suddenly Cordelia had an idea.

Her voice became harder. "On the other hand, don't you think it's kind of horrible? I mean, dumping him in the ground and covering him with dirt and then just leaving him there forever?"

Angel was on his feet. "Cordelia! What are you doing? Katherine, it's okay. Don't pay any attention to her. She has these visions. They've obviously damaged her brain!"

Cordy stood and faced Angel. "You have to admit, the whole thing is pretty cruel. Leaving him to rot in the ground for all eternity. Even Holtz doesn't deserve that."

Angel looked down at the child, expecting her to be horrified. Instead, she was calm. "It's okay, Aunt Cordy. It's not really him. They only bury his body. Daniel's already gone. The real Daniel is in Heaven. I guess he's finally with his family."

Cordy smiled at Angel and he understood. Now he knew what to say to his little girl so that she could understand. Angel walked around the desk and squatted down to Katherine.

"A long time ago, when I was very young, I was killed by a vampire and my soul was taken from my body. But instead of burying my body, the vampire made it into another vampire, like her. Her name was Darla and she called my vampire body Angelus. Darla and Angelus did many terrible things together. They did all of the things that Holtz told you about, and then some. They were evil. Holtz had every right to hate them and want them dead. But after many years of doing evil things something happened that had never happened before. Some people, called Gypsies, did a spell that brought my soul back from where it was and put it back in my body. When that happened, I wasn't Angelus anymore. I became Angel. And ever since that day, I haven't fed on another living person. At first, I mostly tried to stay away from people altogether. It took me a long time to figure out what I was supposed to do; where I fit. I wasn't evil. I wasn't human. I finally realized that I might be able to use my life to help people. Maybe I could try to balance out some of the evil that Angelus had done. The people here, Cordelia, Gunn, Fred, Lorne, they help me do that. The visions that Cordy gets are sent to her from a higher power. They guide us to people who need our help."

Angel realized he had been talking for a very long time and he didn't know if the child was taking any of it in.

"Did Daniel know? Did he know you have a soul now?" she asked.

Angel decided again to be honest. "Yes."

"Then why did he still hate you? Didn't he understand that it wasn't your fault? That it wasn't you."

Angel took her hands in his. "He hated me because he needed to. The reason for what I had done didn't matter. All that mattered was vengeance. As long as he blamed me, he had a purpose. Seeing me punished gave him a reason to go on. Something to live for. Without that hatred, all he would have in his heart was the terrible feeling of loss and that was too much to bear."

As he spoke, Angel mind flashed back to seeing Wesley in the hospital after his throat had been cut. He knew his words not only applied to Holtz, but to himself as well. In his heart he knew that Wesley was his friend. He knew Wesley had done what he felt he had to in order to protect the baby. But when Katherine was taken from him, all he could feel was hate. Hate and blame, and he clung to it. Because without it, all he had was unbearable loss. He realized now that needed to see Wesley. He needed to forgive him. Soon.

For now, he focused on the daughter who sat miraculously before him and gently asked, "Can you understand any of this?"

"Yes. I think Daniel understood, too. I think that's why he said I belonged here with you. It's why he tried so hard to bring me back. I think he wanted to make things right. Don't you?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah, I think maybe he did."

Fred came back in from the lobby. "Gunn and Lorne are taking care of…you know…things."

Cordelia piped up, "Speaking of taking care of things…" She took a long look at the ragged looking child before her. "I'm thinking food, clothes, and bath, although not necessarily in that order." She flashed a huge smile. "I volunteer to shop!"

"What a surprise," said Angel sarcastically.

"I'll cover food," offered Fred.

"Guess that leaves me bath detail." Angel said.

Fred called back on her way out of the hotel, "By the way, help yourself to the stuff in my bathroom. There's shower gel, a big pink poofy sponge, bubble bath, shampoo, conditioner, lotion…" Her voice trailed off.

Angel looked confused.

"I'm off, too," said Cordy.

Angel looked at the tiny girl before him and had a momentary feeling of panic.

"Cordy, wait! Change of plans. How about, I shop and you bathe?"

Cordelia stopped and turned to him.

"Oh, okay. No problem. She's going to need enough clothes for at least a few days, until I can take her shopping with me. Get a couple of pairs of shorts, some tanks and T's, and at least one pair of blue jeans, flare, of course. Nights still get a little cool so she'll probably need some Capri pants, too. Make sure you buy the kind with elastic since you'll totally have to guess on the size. Buy at least two nighties, one long and one short. Get enough panties to last at least a week. Oh, and get the kind with the wide lace at the top but don't buy bikinis or thongs. She's a little young yet. If you have any trouble just ask the saleslady. I'm sure she'll be glad to show you everything."

Angel hung his head and sighed. "Bath detail it is."

"See ya soon," Cordy said as she rushed out.

Katherine came out of the office and looked up at her father. "Is something wrong?"

Angel looked into the face of the child he had thought was lost to him forever and the gaping hole that had been in his heart for weeks was instantly filled. He reached down and took his daughter's hand.

"No. Nothing's wrong. In fact, things have never been so right. Ever seen a big pink poofy sponge?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As water poured into the porcelain tub in Angel's bathroom, Katherine stared in amazement. The bathroom counter was cluttered with pretty much everything Angel had been able to carry from Fred's bathroom. He wasn't sure exactly what he would need so he just grabbed it all. He poured in some bath bubbles as the water ran in and Katherine was ecstatic at the result.

"Wow! They're so pretty! But, once you get it all filled up, how do you get all the water back out?"

Angel was careful not to smile. He didn't want her to think he was making fun of her. This world was bound to prompt endless questions and he never wanted her to be inhibited about asking him about anything.

"Well," he carefully explained, "the tub has a drain that leads down to the sewer system. I'll show it to you sometime. As a matter of fact, you'll probably be seeing it a lot."

"Why?" asked Katherine.

Angel wondered if he should put off the more specific details of his lifestyle. "Do you need help getting undressed?" he stalled.

"No. I can do it myself."

Angel watched as she began struggling out of the crudely sewn skin dress she was wearing. She got it about halfway over her head and got stuck.

"Would you like some help?"

"Yes, please."

Angel freed her arms and tossed the dress aside. She kicked off her moccasin type shoes and stood only in the loose fitting undergarment she was wearing. With a slow sigh, he decided this was probably as good a time as any to begin explaining his complicated life as a vampire and all that it entailed.

"See, part of being a vampire means that I am not able to go out in the sun like most people," he began, "so sometimes I use the sewer tunnels to get places."

She took off the rest of her clothing and he lifted her into the tub. A huge grin came across her face as she settled into the luxurious bubble bath.

"It's warm!" How do you get it so warm?"

Angel pointed behind her. "See those knobs there? One is for hot and one is for cold. You can make the water any temperature you want it."

"Can I take a bubble bath like this again next week?" Katherine asked hopefully.

Angel was getting a better idea of why she looked so dirty. "You can take a bubble bath like this every night if you want."

She smiled up at him. "Every night? Really? Do you take bubble baths?"

Angel reflected again on honesty. Now, the truth was he loved to soak in a nice hot bath with some low music and soft candles. However, that was not the strong paternal image he wanted to portray to his young daughter on their first evening together. He decided honesty could be overrated.

"Nah, guys mostly take showers."

"What are showers?"

Angel decided to risk a little fun. He reached out and pulled the middle knob as the water was pouring in and soft spray from the showerhead rained down on Katherine as she sat in the tub. The little girl squealed and then laughed out loud.

"That," said Angel, "is a shower."

He turned the knob off again and got a towel to wipe up some of the water from the floor. He showed her how to use the sponge and shower gel. Then he washed and rinsed her hair twice. As the layers of dirt were washed away it became clearer by the second that this was indeed the face of his baby girl. Slightly slimmer, but still the same sweet face he had stared into well into the wee hours many nights. He wanted so much to lean down and kiss those soft cheeks again. Would she welcome it? Would she even allow it? He decided it was better to be patient. He didn't want to rush her. Angel looked down at the dingy water in the tub and grabbed a clean towel.

"Here. Stand up for a sec."

Katherine got up and he wrapped the towel around her and lifted her out. He then drained the water from the tub and turned on the shower. "Wanna check it out?"

Katherine nodded, laid the towel down and stepped in.

"I like showers, too! Maybe I'll take a shower one day and a bath the next."

"Whatever you want, sweetheart."

Katherine rinsed herself in the shower for a few minutes until Angel finally turned off the water.

"Okay, ready to get out?"

Angel wrapped the towel back around her and reached for another towel to dry her hair. With that done, he began the arduous task of trying to comb it out.

"Ouch!" Katherine cried out. "Can't we just leave it?"

"I think maybe that's why it's so hard to comb now," Angel said. "Tell you what. We'll just take our time and do it real slow. We can go in the other room and sit down and I'll tell you some things about this world while I comb it, okay?"

Katherine nodded. She hated having her hair combed but she was so curious and full of questions that was willing to bargain.

"What would happen if you went out in the sun?" was her first question.

"I'd catch on fire," he told her.

"Would you burn up?" she asked further.

"Yep."

"Even your bones?"

"Yep."

"Where would your soul go then?" she wanted to know.

Angel didn't answer her. How could he? The fact was, he had spent roughly the past 100 years wondering about the answer to that himself.

"I'm not sure," he finally said. "Somewhere sunny, maybe. Only I wouldn't burn up."

He was making some progress with her hair. One side was completely combed out and he had started on the other.

"What's in there?" Katherine asked, pointing to the little room on the other side of Angel's bed.

"That's where you used to sleep when you were a baby."

"I haven't been a baby for a long time. How come you still keep it like that?"

Angel continued combing as he tried to think of the best way to explain this trick of time.

"I think time must pass differently in different worlds. You were just a baby when you lived here. Then you went to Quor-Toth and six years passed there for you. But here, only a few weeks passed."

Katherine turned around to look at him. "You mean, to you, it's only been a few weeks since I was a baby?"

Angel nodded. She thought this over.

"You mean, to you, it's only been a few weeks since I lived here?"

Angel nodded again.

"So, how did you know it was me?" she asked.

He laid the comb down on the bed and took her face in his hands.

"I would know you anywhere, in any time, in any world, because you are part of me, way down deep inside. On the day you were born, I looked into your beautiful blue eyes and our souls connected. And our souls will stay connected forever."

He couldn't stand it another second. Angel reached out and gathered his child gently in his arms and held her. Thankfully, she didn't try to pull away. Maybe on some level she could feel that connection, too. Holding her gave him a feeling of satisfaction that he had never known before. His Katherine was in his arms. He was holding his little girl again. He had no idea why he was being given this tremendous gift, but he was grateful. Katherine shifted slightly in his arms. With great effort, he willed himself to let her go and tried to sound casual.

"Now, how about if I show you a really cool way to dry your hair?"

"Okay," Katherine replied cheerfully enough and followed him back into the bathroom.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

The noise of the blow dryer startled Katherine a bit at first but once she got used to the sound she enjoyed the feeling of warm air swirling over her. Once her hair was dry, Angel dug around in the bathroom drawer and came up with a new toothbrush. He showed Katherine how to put the toothpaste on and how to scrub in circles.

"This tastes good. Can I eat it?" Katherine asked.

"No, don't actually swallow it. Just rinse it around in your mouth and spit it back out," Angel told her.

"Is it poison?" The girl asked, concerned.

"No, of course not. It just isn't…you know…food. Are you hungry?"

The child nodded.

"Well, Fred should be back pretty soon with dinner. Hope you like Tacos."

Katherine didn't know how to answer. She had never heard of Tacos. She hoped it was something big. She was really hungry. She hadn't eaten for almost two whole days. Not that that was anything new.

Then, with an incredible rustling of bags, Cordelia came bursting into the room.

"Knock, knock. Anybody here want to see what I bought?"

Katherine got a little swept up in Cordy's excitement. "I do!"

Cordelia began pulling clothing out of bags and laying it on the bed.

"You are so going to love what I got. First, TA DA! Isn't this the most beautiful nightgown you have ever seen?"

Katherine agreed. "It sure is. What's a nightgown?"

Cordelia didn't answer. She had moved on. "And this! Don't you just love it?" she asked, holding up a pink T-shirt with a sparkly flower on the front. "I wish I could wear a child's size 6. I would have bought two!"

Each new item pulled from the bag produced a squeal from Cordelia and a dazed look from Angel. Katherine couldn't believe that Cordelia had bought a whole bed full of clothes just for her. She had only ever had one item of clothing to wear at a time.

"What would you like to wear right now?" Cordy asked.

Katherine didn't know what to choose. She looked over the clothes on the bed and picked up a white nightgown. "This feels soft. Can I wear this?"

"It's exactly what I would have picked!" Cordy said. She turned to Angel. "Fred came in when I did. Why don't you go down and help her get the food set up and Katherine and I will be down in a sec."

"Sure," Angel said, "I'll see you downstairs."

Angel left and Cordelia helped Katherine into her new panties and nightgown. She brushed out her hair and then fastened the front back with one of the new clips she had bought for her.

"You look beautiful, honey. Would you like to look in the mirror?"

Katherine nodded and followed Cordelia into the bathroom. "See?" said Cordy.

Katherine stared at herself for a long time. Cordelia stared, too. Since the child first arrived, she admitted to herself now that she had had doubts. She desperately wanted to believe that this girl really was Katherine. For Angel's sake. But it seemed so impossible. Looking at her now, any doubt vanished. She could see it clearly. This was the baby she had rocked to sleep. The baby whose diapers she had changed. The baby that spit up on her designer dress the night of the ballet. This was her little Katie.

Cordelia's memories were interrupted by Katherine's small voice.

"I never really saw myself before. Not good. Sometimes when we went to the stream and it was sunny I could see myself a little in the water. Do you really think I look pretty?"

"Trust me kiddo. I know gorgeous when I see it and you have definitely got gorgeous going on. Come on. Let's go show your dad."

They walked down the stairs to the lobby. Angel and Fred were just finishing up getting the food and drinks out. Fred began talking before they even reached the bottom step.

"I went to get Tacos but then I thought you might like pizza instead. I didn't really know what kind of pizza you would like. I like everything on mine but Cordy is so picky. Gunn eats anything. Lorne only eats cheese and he picks half of that off. Anyway, I decided I should just get some of everything. Then I thought about drinks. Pizza's nothing without soda. Of course, I didn't know what kind of soda you would like, either. Cordy doesn't drink soda at all. Lorne doesn't drink anything non-alcoholic and Gunn only likes orange. Angel's really not a problem since he really only drinks…well, you know…"

Fred hoped she hadn't offended him, but Angel wasn't listening anyway. His eyes had followed her all the way down the staircase. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. She looked like a porcelain doll.

Cordelia saw the look on his face and said, "What do you think, Daddy? Doesn't she look…"

"Exactly like her mother," Angel finished.

Lorne and Gunn came up through the basement just then and walked towards the group. Noticing the little beauty at the base of the stairs, Gunn whistled. Lorne bowed deeply.

Katherine looked puzzled. She asked Cordelia, "Why did they do that?"

"Well, now," Lorne said, "I was taught to always bow before royalty and you look just like a princess."

Katherine smiled at that. She was still very skeptical about the green demon, but she had to admit he had nice manners.

"Okay, everyone. Let's eat," said Fred.

The coffee table between the two couches in the lobby was filled with pizza, plates, napkins, and soda. Angel got a plate and placed a piece of cheese pizza on it and handed it to Katherine with a napkin.

"There you go. See how that tastes."

Katherine sat down on the couch and picked up the slice of pizza. She crammed as much of it into her mouth as she could and bit down. At first, she had no expression on her face at all. Then, a hint of a smile appeared around her eyes and soon she was smiling broadly.

"This is good! What kind of animal is a pizza?"

Everyone in the room began stuffing into their mouths to cover their laughter. Fred nearly choked and Gunn offered her a can of soda. Finally, Angel explained in general terms how pizza is made. Katherine tried some of each kind of pizza and drank three cans of soda. They all wondered how long it had been since she had last eaten.

As she ate, the group took turns filling her in on different aspects of life in her new world. Holtz had already told her a great deal. He had told her of automobiles, telephones, planes, and electricity. He had also described television to her and she was anxious to see this amazing talking picture machine. Angel promised to bring up a set that was stored in the basement and hook it up for her tomorrow. As they talked and told her stories, Angel hoped she might be willing to share some of the details of her life in Quor-Toth.

As the evening progressed and she seemed at ease, he tentatively tried to feel her out. "Is there anything you can tell us about the place you came from?"

He hoped the question hadn't sounded strained. He was so desperate to hear about everything she had been through and to know what her life had been like. But the little girl didn't seem hesitant at all.

"Well, there aren't any lights like these. We made candles and burned torches. At night, we had a fire in the fireplace. Mara cooked on the fire."

"Who's Mara?" Cordelia asked.

"She's the lady who took care of me," answered Katherine.

"Where was Holtz?" asked Angel.

"I didn't see him that much. I lived with Mara ever since I was a baby. Daniel came around a couple of times a year and brought food and skins and things. I think that's how he paid Mara for taking care of me."

Everyone had stopped eating. All eyes were fixed on the small girl as she continued to speak.

"There were lots of kids there. I don't think any of them were hers. I'm not sure why she took care of all of us. I guess she must just like children. Or maybe other people paid her like Daniel did. Anyway, Daniel showed up a couple of weeks ago and started telling me about you," she pointed to Angel, "and said he had a plan to get us back here."

She looked at Cordelia. "What was it was like where you grew up?"

Cordy brightened immediately since she was her absolute favorite topic of conversation. She began a long recitation on growing up in privileged L.A. and the importance of wearing just the right thing and knowing just the right people. She elaborated on her high school accomplishments and vast popularity.

As she talked, Katherine grew quiet. She leaned her head against Angel's arm and was soon fast asleep. Cordelia seemed oblivious to the fact that she had lost her audience and continued to ramble.

"Uh hmmmm," Fred cleared her throat and pointed to the sleeping girl.

Cordelia looked annoyed. "You'll get your turn to tell her all about Texas in a sec, Ms. Ewing. Just let me finish the part about how I made varsity cheerleader my sophomore year."

"I think you're going to have to save it for tomorrow. Look." Fred pointed again.

Everyone looked at the little girl who was now sleeping peacefully.

Angel gently picked her up and started for the stairs. "I'll take her up. See you guys tomorrow."

"Night," everyone said softly.

Angel carried her into his room. He held her against him with one arm and turned down the covers of his bed with his free hand. He was about to lay her down but then he hesitated. He looked at the empty rocker in the small room next to his bed and couldn't resist. He sat down in the rocking chair and reached for the blanket on the chest beside it. He carefully covered her as he began to rock slowly. He wasn't sure how long he had been rocking. He must have dozed for a time. He sensed someone in the room and opened his eyes to find Cordy sitting on his bed.

"Hey," she said. "You've been up here for hours. Have you been sitting there rocking her this whole time?"

"I couldn't seem to put her down," he confessed. "Earlier tonight, I kept thinking about how I've missed so much time with her and how much she's grown. I was feeling pretty cheated. But this last while, sitting here with her, holding her, rocking her…I look at her and she's so tiny. And I am so grateful that there is still so much left. Another month and…"

"Why go there?" Cordelia asked. "You're right. You're so lucky to have her back. Don't waste a second on what could have been. Good or bad. Just enjoy your daughter."

Cordy got up and straightened the bed covers and turned them back evenly. "She'll sleep a lot better in bed, you know," Cordy advised.

"Soon," he promised as he continued to rock his little miracle and he was still rocking when the sun rose in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

Early the next morning as the sun was coming up, Angel gently laid Katherine down in his bed and carefully covered her up. As she slept, he quickly showered, shaved, and dressed. He tip-toed out of the room and went downstairs. By the time he got there, Fred, Gunn, and Cordelia had already arrived.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully to everyone.

"Is he smiling?" asked Fred.

"Not sure," answered Gunn, "Anybody ever seen him smile before?"

"Go ahead. Make your jokes. Nothing is going to make me mad today," he assured them. "My daughter is upstairs sleeping. She's safe and sound…and home."

Everyone smiled.

"Have you given any thought to what you want to do with her today?" Cordelia asked.

"Not really. I guess I'm pretty limited on what I can do during the daylight hours. I thought I might take her to a movie or something. That's indoors," he suggested.

"I think that's a great idea," Cordy told him as his enthusiasm caught on. "And by the time the movie is over, we could take her to the pier for some cotton candy and a hot dog," she added.

Angel walked around to counter to where Cordelia was sitting. "Listen, Cordy, I was hoping maybe you could do me a favor," he said. "I need to go out for a bit and I don't want Katherine to wake up all alone. Could you go upstairs and just sit with her in case she wakes up?"

"Where are you going? Not on a case, cos, Vision Girl, remember? I'd know.."

Angel shook his head. "Just something I need to take care of. Something personal. I shouldn't be long. Call my cell if she wakes up and I'll rush right back."

"Take it easy there Dad," Cordelia told him. "She'll be fine without you for two minutes, three maybe. You've got to try to loosen up a little. She's home and she's not going anywhere. So, go run your errand and try to stop worrying."

Angel gave her a nervous smile. "Thanks. I'll try."

Half an hour later he was standing in the hallway of an apartment building. He almost knocked and then stopped himself. He took a deep breath and held it a moment. As he let it out, he raised his hand and tapped on the door.

"Who is it?" came the response from inside.

"Angel."

The door opened and after four long weeks Angel was once again face to face with his friend Wesley.

"Hey," Angel said.

Wesley was visibly surprised. "Hey. What are you doing here?" He couldn't totally mask the hint of suspicion in his voice.

"I needed to talk to you," Angel told him. "Can I come in?"

Wesley raised his eyebrows. "You've been here before. You don't need an invitation."

Angel leaned in confidentially. "I know. I was being polite. Wanna play along?"

Wesley stepped aside and gestured Angel in. "Of course. Please come in. Can I get you something to drink? I'm afraid I don't have any blood."

Angel wasn't sure if he was being serious or sarcastic. He decided to play it straight. "That's okay, I'm good."

Wesley gestured toward the couch. "Won't you sit down?"

Once Wesley's manners kicked in they really kicked in. Angel took a seat on the couch.

"Katherine's back," he blurted.

"Yes, I know."

Angel thought for a moment. "Fred?" He guessed.

Wesley nodded. "We've been talking a bit here and there. She called last night. Angel, I can't tell you how happy I am about the way this has turned out. I know having her back doesn't make up for the time you missed with her but…"

Angel put up a hand to stop him. "Wes, I'm not here because I'm angry. I'm here because I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not trying harder to understand why you did what you did. I know you never intended to give my daughter to Holtz or Wolfram and Hart or anyone else who would hurt her."

Wesley looked him in the eye. "I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't sort out that blasted prophecy. I didn't want to believe that you would ever hurt her, but…the way you were with her, after they spiked your blood with hers…I couldn't be certain. I thought if I could just take her somewhere and keep her safe until I figured it out…"

Angel nodded his understanding. "I know that now. And I know why you couldn't trust me, or anyone. You were in a horrible position and, just like always, you made the tough decision. Even though you knew it would probably get you killed, and probably by me. At the very least, you knew you'd be in it alone. But that didn't matter to you. All you cared about was keeping my child safe. I'll always be grateful to you for that. I couldn't ask for a better friend, Wes. I just hope that you can forgive me now and that we can try to put all of this behind us and move on from here. What do you say?" Angel offered his hand to Wesley.

Wesley started to take his hand but hesitated. "What about the others? They may not be as forgiving as you are. Certainly Lorne has cause to nurse a grudge," Wesley reasoned as the image of Lorne lying on the floor covered in blood flashed in his mind.

"I'll talk to them but, trust me, since Katherine showed up, the vibe around that place is all about forgiveness. I can't wait for you to meet her."

He pushed his hand toward Wesley again. This time, he shook it warmly and smiled. "I can't wait, either."

Angel stood up to go. "So, see you at the office tomorrow?" he asked.

"First thing," Wesley promised.

Just as Angel was walking back to the sewer tunnel that led to Wesley's building his phone rang. It was Cordy. "She's up!" was all she said. That was enough. Angel was home in a flash.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When he got back to the hotel, Angel found Katherine sitting at the counter eating waffles with maple syrup. Or maybe a better description would be eating maple syrup with waffles considering the amount syrup on her plate. "How's my girl this morning?" Angel asked her.

"Good. I like waffles!" she told him.

He noticed she was wearing some of the new clothes that Cordy had gotten her last night. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and tied with a ribbon. No one would ever guess she had just spent the last six years in a Hell dimension.

Cordelia pushed a piece of paper in front of him. "You need to shop. Your refrigerator had two choices, both beverages, neither appropriate. I made a list."

Angel looked it over. "I don't think I know what some of this stuff is," he said doubtfully. "What are Hot Pockets? Is that clothing or food?"

Cordy grabbed the list back from him. "Never mind. I'll go shopping. You can get that television out of the basement for Katherine. She's been asking since the second she got up.

"How did you sleep?" Angel asked his daughter.

She wrinkled her forehead. "It was kind of strange when I woke up. At first I didn't know were I was. But then Aunt Cordy was there and it was okay."

He nodded a thank you to Cordy. "Well, while you finish up here, I'll go see what I can do about finding that television set." Katherine grinned.

"Would you like another waffle?" Cordy asked, not thinking she could possibly eat another bite.

"Yes, please," Katherine answered.

"Are you sure you're not related to Fred instead of Angel?" Cordy teased as she served her a fifth waffle.

Katherine shrugged and reached for the bottle of syrup. Cordelia watched as she poured it on the waffle with a generous hand.

She picked up her shopping list. "Maple syrup," she noted. She glanced again at Katherine's plate. "Better make that two."

When Katherine had finally finished eating, Cordelia cleared away her plate and then asked her to go into the bathroom to wash her hands. While Katherinewas doing that, Cordy went to the top of the stairs and called down to Angel that she was leaving for the grocery store.

"Okay. Thanks. Send Katherine down here, okay?" he called back.

Cordy went to the bathroom door to relay Angel's message but the door was open. She stuck her head inside the bathroom. Empty. She called out for Katherine. No answer. She called again. Still no answer. She looked around the office and the lobby. No Katherine. Just as she was about to yell for Angel, she noticed that the front door to the hotel was slightly ajar. Her stomach tightened as she ran towards the door. Just as she reached the top step, Gunn came through the door carrying Katherine in his arms.

"Oh, thank God!" Cordelia cried out.

"What's going on?" asked Angel from behind the television he was carrying.

Gunn looked from Angel to Cordy. "Ya'll mind telling me what this kid was doing walking down the street hand in hand with David Spade's evil twin?"

"What?" asked Angel. He looked at Cordy. "You were supposed to be watching her!" He put the TV down on the floor with a thud.

"I was! I walked over to the basement stairs for like a second." She looked back at Gunn. "Who was this guy she was with?"

Gunn put her down. "Never saw him before."

Angel knelt down to Katherine. "Where were you going with that man?"

"He said he had something pretty to show me," she answered.

Angel, Gunn, and Cordy all exchanged knowing glances. Cordelia clutched her stomach.

Angel put his hands on both of Katherine's shoulders. "You are never to go out of this hotel by yourself. Do you understand? There are lots of dangerous things in this world and, unfortunately, a lot of dangerous people. People who might hurt you. Promise me you won't go out unless one of us is you."

"I promise. But why would that man want to hurt me. He doesn't even know me?" Katherine asked with innocent eyes.

"In a perfect world, he wouldn't. But apparently there are no perfect worlds." He raised an eyebrow. "You just remember your promise," he reminded her.

Angel put the television set on a table against the wall and plugged it in. "This probably won't get a very good picture with just this little antenna but maybe we can pick up something here."

The television took a few seconds to warm up. Katherine watched as a giant purple dinosaur appeared on the screen. "You have demons on television?" she asked.

"Well, actually," Gunn began.

"Actually," Cordy interrupted, "that isn't really a demon. It's just a man dressed up in a costume."

"What's he supposed to be?" she asked, puzzled.

"He's a dinosaur," Cordelia explained.

"Do you have dinosaurs around here?" Katherine asked with a worried look.

"There aren't any dinosaurs anymore. They all died millions of years ago," her Aunt Cordy assured her.

"Really? Quor-toth has dinosaurs. They aren't purple, but they sure are big." she said.

Angel wondered how long it would be before he stopped being surprised at the things his daughter told him about her life so far.

Angel turned to Cordelia. "Hey, Cordy. You want to go up and ask Fred if she wants to go to the movies with us?"

"Sure. Be right back."

Just as she started up the stairs, Fred appeared at the top.

"We're off to the movies," Cordy told her, "wanna come with?"

Fred seemed excited. "Sure. That sounds like fun."

Down in the lobby, Katherine looked up at Gunn. "Thanks for not letting that man hurt me."

Gunn squatted down to her level. "No prob, this time. But listen up. I can't be going around saving your life all the time so you do like you pop says and don't be goin' out alone, you hear?"

Katherine nodded. She liked Gunn. "Are you coming to the movies with us?"

Charles looked up and saw Fred coming down the stairs. She looked beautiful. "Wouldn't miss it."

"Keys," Cordelia said to Angel.

He fished them out of his pocket andtossed them to her. "Pull around back in the shade," he told her. "And make sure the top's up."

He turned to Katherine and asked, "Ready?"

"Ready," she said.

And the four of them were off for their first real day of fun in a very long time.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After much discussion, it was finally decided that Katherine would most enjoy a cartoon. The initial explanation that everything she saw on the screen was merely a computer generated image would cut down on her number of questions and on the inevitable "shushing" from those around them.

Katherine did indeed like the cartoon once she was assured that nothing in it was real in this world. She also liked the popcorn, nachos, M&Ms, Raisinettes, and soda her father bought for her.

After the movie, Cordelia suggested they go to the mall for a bit. Cordy wanted to have her foot measured for some tennis shoes. She had settled for flip-flops last night since she didn't want to guess on size when it came to shoes. At the mall, Katherine tried on pair after pair until Cordy was satisfied she had the best fit in the most stylish pair in the store.

Walking through the mall, Katherine noticed a crowd gathered around something she couldn't see.

"What's going on over there?" she asked and pointed to the crowd.

"Let's check it out," Gunn suggested and took her by the hand.

They got to where the crowd was gathered and Gunn lifted her up onto his shoulders. From there, she could see a boy about 10 jumping up and down on a black mat connected to springs. He had cords attached to a harness around his stomach.

"That looks fun!" she exclaimed. "Can I do that?"

"I don't know," Cordy began.

"Sure you can," Angel said enthusiastically.

He helped her down from Gunn's shoulders and led her over to the lady taking money.

"My daughter would like to jump, please," he said as he reached for his wallet.

"I bet that wallet sees more action today than it has in the past 10 years," muttered Cordelia.

The boy on the trampoline finished jumping and was helped down. "Next!" called the man who worked there. His smiley face nametag read "Hal."

Angel led her over to Hal and he adjusted the harness on her and lifted her up. "Ready, little lady?"

Katherine nodded and began jumping. At first, she was jumping approximately the same height as the boy before her had. But soon, she was jumping so high that the bungee ropes were strained to their limit. Hal looked nervous.

"Hey," he called up to her. Take it easy there little lady. Don't want you shootin' right through the ceiling." He laughed nervously.

Angel wasn't laughing. A few more bounces and she would go right through the ceiling. He hopped up onto the trampoline and slowed Katherine down. When she had finally stopped bouncing completely, he unhooked the harness and handed her down to Hal.

"I don't get it. I've never seen anyone go that high before. She some kind of gymnast or something?" Hal asked as he put her down.

"Or something, I guess," Angel told him.

Cordelia, Fred, and Gunn walked over to where Angel and Katherine were standing.

"What was that?" Cordy asked.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked blankly.

"You know what I mean. Don't you think that was a little…over the top…so to speak?"

Angel shrugged her off. "She's just really enthusiastic. Don't make a big thing. Where to now?"

"I want to do that again!" Katherine squealed.

"Not today," Angel said quickly, guiding her in the other direction. "One turn per customer."

They walked toward the escalator and Cordelia decided to let it drop. Maybe Angel was right. She just got carried away and jumped a little harder than kid a normally would. Normally. A normal kid. Is that what Katherine was, she wondered.

"Come on, Aunt Cordy," Katherine called.

She pushed the thought away and hurried to catch up.

Their next stop was the Santa Monica Pier. The sun had just gone down and the Pier was all lit up. Katherine ran from one thing to the next, full of questions. She rode rides, played games and, of course, ate. She ate cotton candy, caramel apples, funnel cakes, all of which was washed down with can after can of soda. Angel happily forked over whatever amount of money was required at each new booth.

"I never thought I'd see Angel so happy about spending money." Fred said to Gunn.

"Guess all it takes is a woman. Even a little bitty one," Gunn joked and Fred punched him in the arm.

Katherine had been trying without success to throw a ball and knock over a stack of milk bottles. "I can't do it," she said sadly.

Angel handed a bill to the boy behind the booth. "Set 'em up again," he told him.

The kid reset the bottles and handed Angel three balls. He only needed one.

"A winner!" the pimply faced kid announced. "Which stuffed animal would you like, little girl?"

"That one!" Katherine said and pointed to a puppy wearing a brightly colored clown costume.

The boy pulled it down and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she told him. She turned to Angel. "And thank you. I love him!"

Angel beamed but tried to play it cool.

"What should I name him?" she asked her father.

"Hmmmm. Let's see," Angel mused, "a mutt and a clown. How about Spike?"

Fred chimed in, "After the little dog in the Our Gang shows!"

Angel tried to look innocent. "Sure, of course."

"Spike," Katherine repeated. "I like it."

That he could be hearing that name every day of the foreseeable future suddenly occurred to Angel and he quickly tried to undo the damage.

"I was just kidding, sweetheart. Spike's no name for a cute little doggie like this. How about Fluffy? Or Taffy? Or Princess?"

"I like Spike," she said with finality. Angel hung his head.

"Serves you right, funny guy," Cordy laughed.

After two more ice cream cones and three more rides on the carousel, Cordelia noticed that Katherine was looking a little green.

"Are you okay, baby?" she asked her.

"I don't think I feel so good," Katherine admitted.

Cordelia shot Angel an accusing look. "I wonder why?"

Two seconds later the six-year-old was throwing up on Gunn's shoes. Gunn tried to jump out of the line of fire but wasn't quite quick enough.

"Oh, man. That's nasty," he groaned.

Cordelia held the little girl's head and patted her back, all the while glaring at Angel.

He turned his palms up defensively, "What? This is my fault? She asked for more ice cream."

"Children don't always know what's good for them," she informed him. "That's why they have parents. To set limits. Does it every occur to you to Just Say No?"

Angel looked pathetic. "I just wanted her to have fun."

Gunn looked up from trying to clean his shoes in the grass. "Does this look like fun to you? Cos, I'm willing to share some of this fun," he said as he approached Angel with his gooey shoe.

Angel ducked around behind his daughter. "Thanks, but I really need to take care of my kid, here."

Gunn nodded. "Later man. Later," he promised.

"We'd better get her home," Cordelia told Angel.

Katherine perked up. "I don't want to go home yet. I'm feeling better now. Please, can't we stay just a little while longer?" she begged.

"Not tonight, I'm afraid," Cordelia answered.

Katherine turned to Angel. "Please?"

Angel was mush. "Well, maybe just for a little while."

Cordelia crossed her arms and stared at him.

Angel took Katherine by the hand and said loud enough for Cordelia to hear, "Come on. Let's go try to win Aunt Cordy a puppy. You can name him Xander."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Katherine was completely exhausted by the time they got back to the hotel. She practically dragged herself out of the car and through the hotel lobby. She hesitated at the base of the long staircase.

"Want a lift?" Angel asked.

"What do you mean?"

Angel turned his back to her and crouched down. "Hop on."

Katherine climbed on his back and he stood up straight. He took hold of her legs and said, "hold on." She did.

He bounded up the steps so fast that it ignited the last remaining spark of energy she had left. "Yea!" she cried. "Faster!"

Angel did his best to comply, but it had been a long day for him as well. He bounced her down the hallway and into his room. He made one final loop around the room before bouncing her off his back and onto the bed.

"Okay. Time to get down to some serious bedtime stuff. Teeth, pajamas, and in you go," he told her.

"Will you tell me a story?" she asked.

"First, teeth and pajamas, then a story. Deal?"

"Deal." She agreed quickly.

Angel heard her start the water in the bathroom and assumed she was brushing her teeth. He turned the bed down and laid out her nightgown. After a few minutes went by, he decided he'd better see what was keeping her.

"Katherine? Everything okay in here?" He walked into the bathroom and stumbled over a stray shoe.

Katherine was in the tub, already half filled with water. "You said I could take a bubble bath every night if I wanted," she reminded him.

He had to smile. "So I did. Well, as long as we're here, why don't we kill two birds with one stone."

"You kill birds?"

"What? No. That's just an expression. It means to like, do two things at once. In this case, I'll tell you a story while you take your bath. See?"

She nodded.

"What kind of a story would you like to hear?" he asked.

"Tell me a story about when you were my age," she suggested.

Angel swallowed hard. He would do anything for her, but his childhood memories were not a place he liked to visit.

"Aw. You don't want to hear about that stuff. That was like, a million years ago. Booorring."

She was not dissuaded. "Please?"

Angel squinted his eyes tight and tried to recall a happy childhood memory.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy who lived on a farm with his mother and father. He went to school and did chores and played with his friends and had a satisfactory life. He sometimes imagined that he was a prince. But a prince isn't really a prince without a princess. Then, one day, his mother and father brought home a wonderful surprise. A baby sister named Katherine."

"Like me!" she said.

"Just like you! You're named after her. Anyway, she was very small and cried from time to time and didn't always smell so great, if you get my meaning, but he loved her. As she grew, he taught her how to fish, and to whistle, and to catch a butterfly on her finger. Now the boy could pretend that he was a prince anytime he wished, because he finally had his princess. The End."

"Tell me another one," she begged.

"Oh, no. We have to get you dried off and into bed. It's late. If Cordy comes up here and finds you still awake, she'll have my hide."

Katherine smiled at that. "Okay. I don't want Aunt Cordy to get mad at you."

"Thanks. I appreciate it. Out."

Katherine got out and Angel dried her off. She got dressed and hopped into bed.

"Where's Spike?" she asked.

That caught him off guard. "What?"

"Spike. I wanted to sleep with him," she said.

Angel shuddered. He was definitely going to have nightmares. He looked around the floor and found the stuffed animal and handed it to her. "Here he is. Listen, are you sure you don't want to rethink this name thing? I think Taffy is a really nice name."

"His name is Spike," she said simply.

He'd just have to learn to live with it. "All tucked in?" he asked.

She nodded. "Daddy?"

Angel froze. Did she just say…

"I had a nice day," she said sweetly.

"Me, too," he finally choked out. "Do you think I could kiss you goodnight?"

She reached up and hugged him around the neck and squeezed. He held her close and kissed her cheek. "I love you so much," he told her.

She settled back in bed and asked again, "Will you tell me another story now?"

He would tell her stories until the sun came up if she wanted. He thought for a moment.

"Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Elliott and he had a friend who was from another world...


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Wesley reported for work the next morning as promised and he, Lorne, Gunn, and Angel spent the morning catching up on files. No one seemed to harbor any animosity towards him, not even Lorne, and he was grateful. He suspected some gentle arm-twisting had gone on by Angel but, whatever the reason, he was glad to be welcomed back.

Cordelia and Fred had a Girl's Day planned with Katherine. They were up and dressed and out the door by 8:00 and missed Wesley's return. They spent the morning having a manicure, pedicure, and facial. Then it was off to the salon to have their hair trimmed. They ate lunch at an outdoor café and spent the remainder of the afternoon shopping. Apparently, the long hours they had spent each day with Katherine as a baby must have had an impact. Katherine was as at ease and comfortable with them as if she had seen with them every day of her life. By the end of the afternoon, they had fallen back into their old habit of using her baby nickname Katydid, or occasionally just Katie. With one exception, it was a perfect day.

When the girls returned, Gunn and Wesley had gone to tie up a loose end on an old case. Lorne and Angel were in his office sorting through files. Katie ran in and jumped up in his lap.

"We had fun! Did you miss me?" she asked.

"I don't know. What'd you bring me?" he asked her.

She looked at Cordy with a worried expression.

"He's kidding," Cordy said.

Katherine relaxed. "But we did buy a lot of stuff. I got lots of new clothes and Aunt Cordy bought me a purse and a big, big bottle of bubble bath. It smells good."

Lorne came over and peeked into the one of the bags she was holding. "Is that Sweet Pea? I just love the smell of Sweet Pea."

"Who asked you?" she said, and snatched the bag away.

Cordelia looked at Angel, who said nothing. Lorne shrank back to the other side of the desk.

"Anyway," Katherine continued, clearly to Angel alone, "then we went to this other store and we got curtains and a bedspread and a furry rug and a picture of a ballerina. That's a girl who dances on her toes," she explained.

"I'm sure that will look just lovely in my room," he said sarcastically, squinting at Cordelia.

"Actually, it's for Katherine's room," she said.

Angel stopped smiling. "What?" He didn't like where this was going.

"Aunt Cordy said I could have a room of my own," she reported.

Angel gave Cordelia an icy look. "You should have talked to me."

"Angel, she can't keep sleeping in your room forever. She's needs a room of her own with things of her own."

Angel put his arm further around her and hugged her to him. "I like having her close, so I can keep an eye on her." Angel looked at his daughter. "We've been doing okay, haven't we?"

Katherine didn't know what to say. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she was excited about her new room. She had never had a room of her own.

"I guess…" she said slowly.

Angel saw the disappointment in her face and got the hint. He looked at her and smiled. "You really want your own room?"

She smiled back and nodded.

Cordy spoke up. "You know, your room actually has an adjoining door to the room beside it. That would be perfect for her. We could go tomorrow and pick up some paint and brushes…"

"Okay, I know when I'm outnumbered," he conceded.

"I'd be glad to go to the paint store," offered Lorne.

Katherine sneered at him. "No thanks. I don't like green."

Cordelia waited for Angel to scold her but Angel again said nothing.

Lorne walked toward the door. "Angelcakes, we're pretty much done here and I gotta go see a guy about a.m…thing…" he said vaguely.

"Thanks for the help today," Angel said. "See you tomorrow?"

"Sure. Night, peaches," he said to Katherine, who ignored him.

When Lorne had gone Cordelia turned to Katherine and said in a more serious tone. "How about filling your dad in on what else happened today."

Katherine looked at her blankly.

"About the little problem we had?"

Katherine continued to stare but Cordelia knew she was faking it.

Angel looked at her. "Katherine?"

Katie tried to sound spontaneous. "I saw this real tall man with legs about 10 feet long!"

"You did?" he played along. "That must have been interesting."

"Yeah," she continued. "He walked around on these sticks and juggled balls in the air while he walked!"

"Sounds cool." Angel looked at Cordelia. "What's the problem?"

Cordy looked at Katherine and waited for her to answer. "Katherine?"

Katherine snuggled down in her father's lap a little closer.

Cordy rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine, I'll tell him. We were at the T-shirt shop on the pier when she saw this guy on stilts way down at the other end. She wanted to walk down there but I told her we'd have to come back another time since you were expecting us home by 5 and I knew you'd totally freak out if we were like 30 seconds late."

Katherine began to fidget with the paperclips on Angel's desk.

Cordelia continued her recap. "Anyway, I went to pay the T-shirt guy and when I turned around, no Katherine. There were like 60 people standing around. I thought I'd never find her. This Houdini act of hers is starting to give me worry lines. Not good."

Angel looked down at Katie. "I thought you promised me you wouldn't go off on your own?"

"I just wanted to see the tall man doing tricks. I was afraid he might not be there next time," she explained innocently.

It worked. He was putty in her hands. He gave her a little hug. "I know, it's okay." he told her.

He caught a glimpse of Cordelia's disapproving look. "But don't do it again," he added.

Cordy picked up some of the shopping bags and held them out to Katherine. "Honey, why don't you take some of these things upstairs. I'll come up in a few minutes and help you hang them up."

"Okay." Katherine slid down from Angel's lap left with the bags.

When Katherine was far enough the stairs, Angel leaned back and folded his arms. "I suppose that was so you could talk to me privately?" he guessed.

"You betcha. Angel, she's getting the idea that she can just do anything she wants to, and she's getting it from you.

"Look, I just don't want to start dumping a bunch of rules on her the first week she's back," he said defensively.

Cordy tried to stay calm. "Fine. I can understand that. So, how about one rule? Just one. Don't Go Running Off Alone."

Angel filed some papers in the drawer beside him. "She was just excited. We'll just have to be more careful. Keep a better eye on her."

Cordelia desperately tried to make her point. "You give her anything she wants. You let her get away with anything she does. Did you not hear the way she talked to Lorne just now? He's like, family, and you just sat there while she totally dissed him. You're spoiling her," she concluded.

"That's the plan," he confessed.

"And you think that's a good thing?"

"Actually, I do."

Cordy couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You want her to grow up to be a selfish, self-centered brat that nobody is going to want to be friends with?"

"So, what am I supposed to do? The kid's been through Hell. Literally! Don't you think she's entitled to a little happiness?" he asked.

Cordelia folded her arms. "You know I want her to be happy every bit as much as you do, so don't even go there. But that feeling of entitlement can grow. And it can keep on growing until it snuffs out everything sweet and precious that's inside her. Is that really what you want?"

Angel pretended to look through the papers on his desk. "You're exaggerating."

Cordy sat down in front of him. "Am I? Do you know that I lived in Sunnydale all of my life and I didn't have one single real friend? Not one. Oh, I acted like that didn't matter. That I was glad those kids didn't like me since I was obviously so much better than they were anyway. But the truth is, I would have traded all my designer clothes and expensive jewelry for one real girlfriend."

Angel thought about this. "You had friends. The Cordettes. What about them?"

"Groupies and users."

Angel leaned over his desk. "Well, you have friends now. You have us."

"Because I finally grew up and realized that there were more important things in this world than me. Our friendship is amazing because it's based on trying to help other people. On trying to give something, instead of trying to get something. You're cheating Katherine out of ever being able to have that with anyone by turning her into a taker who thinks the world owes her something."

"You think that's what I'm doing to her?"

"Don't you?" she asked.

Angel got up and walked toward the door. "Okay, I'll go talk to her. I'll tell her about The Rule and about not being rude." He hesitated and turned around. "But then I'm taking her out for ice cream."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Angel found Katherine in her room arranging her new clothes on her bed, grouping them by outfits and accessories. Man, she really was turning into Cordelia.

"What are you doing?" he asked her as he came in.

"Nothing much. Just getting everything ready for Aunt Cordy."

"Well, you guys can do that later. Come on in here. I want to talk to you," he said as he walked back in to the living room area.

"What's wrong?" she wanted to know as she sat down on the couch beside her father.

Angel shifted around a little, then said finally, "It's about what happened today with Aunt Cordy. You know, at the pier."

"Is she mad at me?" Katherine asked him.

"No. She's not mad…exactly," he hedged. "More like …concerned."

Katherine picked up a pillow from the couch and put it in her lap. "About what?"

Angel shifted around some more. "Before, when I said it was okay that you wanted to see the juggler? Well, it wasn't okay. The rule is that you don't go anywhere by yourself. You promised me you wouldn't do that again and you broke your promise. That's definitely not okay and if you do it again, there's going to be…consequences," he finished.

Katherine looked at him with concern. "Are you going to spank me?"

He wasn't expecting that. "No. Of course not. Why would you think…" Anger rose up as images of Holtz beating his child flashed in his mind.

He tried to keep his tone conversational. "Did Hol…I mean Daniel. Did Daniel spank you?"

"No."

Angel sagged back on the couch with relief.

"But sometimes Mara did."

Angel sat back up. "For what?" he asked, trying to stay calm.

"Well, one time Lan and me…"

Angel interrupted, "Who's Lan?"

"One of the boys Mara took care of. He was a couple of years older than me, but he was nice. Anyway, one time we tried to throw the torches up into the holes in the barn wall like Mara did. We were never supposed to touch them but…"

"But you did anyway?" Angel finished.

Katherine nodded. "It was awful. We almost burned the whole barn down. Some of the animals got burned and a couple of them died," she said, ashamed.

"Sounds like maybe she had a pretty good reason for spanking you," he said, not quite able to be as angry at this woman as he had firstthought.

"I tried not to ever give her a reason to," Katherine confided.

"Were you…afraid of her?" Angel asked.

Katherine shook her head. "Oh, no. It's just that, it made her so sad to punish us. I didn't like to make her sad."

It was evident to Angel that the woman who had raised his daughter had cared for her a great deal. Katherine obviously had a great capacity to care about others and this woman must have been largely responsible for the kind of child she had grown to be. He supposed he at least had to be grateful to Holtz for that.

He decided to segue into the second reason he had wanted to talk to Katherine. "Speaking of making other people sad…" he began.

He motioned for her to come and sit in his lap. She did so, happily.

"You were really unkind to Lorne downstairs. You probably hurt his feelings," he told her.

"So? He's just a demon," she reasoned.

Angel resettled her on his lap so she was facing him. "No. He's not just a demon. He's our friend."

"He's not my friend," she said with certainty.

"You're wrong," he told her. "Lorne took care of you all the time when you were a baby, and you loved him."

Katherine made a face.

"It's true," he continued. "He sang to you and rocked you and took you for walks in the park. And not because I asked him to or because he had to. He just loved spending time with you. I'm sure it hurts him a lot for you to be so hateful to him now."

Katherine wasn't budging. "I don't remember any of that. You not going to make me be friends with him now, are you?"

Angel's disappointment showed on his face. "No. There wouldn't be any point to that. Friendship can't be forced." He looked her in the eye. "But good manners can. And I do expect you to treat him kindly and with respect, because he is a friend of mine. Understand?"

"How kindly?" she wanted to know.

Angel raised an eyebrow.

"Just kidding," she said, half truthfully.

Angel stood up and held out his hand to her. "Great. Now that we have all of that settled, how would you like some ice cream?"

Katherine liked it very much.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When Katherine woke up the next morning, Angel was still sleeping. She got up and went to the kitchen to get a Pop-Tart. She wondered if Cordy was here yet and padded barefooted downstairs to find out. When she got to the office, she found not Cordelia, but Wesley working in the office.

"Hello there," he said, looking up from his book. "I'm Wesley."

He got up and walked around the desk and extended his hand to her. She placed her tiny hand in his and shook it slightly.

"I'm Katherine," she responded.

"I know," he admitted. "I'm very, very happy to see you again."

Katie looked confused. "Did you know me when I was a baby, too?"

Wesley nodded. "As a matter of fact,I did."

"How come I haven't seen you around here before today?" she questioned.

Wesley wasn't sure how much he should tell her.

"I've been taking some time off of late," he said cautiously, then added, "but I think you'll be seeing me around here pretty regularly from now on."

Cordelia came in the front door and Katie ran to her.

"Aunt Cordy! What are we going to do today?" she asked.

"Kill big gray slimy things, apparently," she answered.

Wesley came out of the office. "You had a vision?"

"Right in the middle of the school crossing. I nearly took out two second graders."

She looked toward the ceiling. "Nice timing there! That was great!"

Wesley grabbed a pen and paper. "What did you see?"

Cordelia closed her eyes. "A building, corner of Second and Grand. There are some homeless people living there."

She opened her eyes and looked at Wesley. "They're going to die."

"Not if I can help it," he told her. "Get Angel. Have him meet me there."

Wesley opened the weapons cabinet, grabbed a sword, and was out the door. Cordy ran upstairs to get Angel but met him coming down.

"There's a…" she began.

"I heard. I'm on it. I think I can catch up to Wes. He looked from Katie to Cordelia.

"Can you stay with her?"

"I'm here. Go."

Angel grabbed his favorite broadsword and started out the door. Katherine followed him.

"I want to go," she said.

"Sorry, kiddo. You stay here with Aunt Cordy."

She grabbed the bottom of his coat. "But I could help. Please?" she begged.

He pried her hand loose and looked at Cordy.

"Help me out here?"

Cordelia came over and picked Katherine. Angel made his escape. "I'll be back soon," he promised as he left.

Cordy carried Katie over to the counter and sat her down on it. Katherine crossed her arms and huffed.

"I wanted to go with them," she complained.

"Now why would you want to go looking for big gray slimy demons in the sewers when you could be here having frozen waffles andsyrup with me, Regis, and Kelly?"

Katherine perked up a little. "Can I have as much syrup as I want?" she asked.

"Deal." Cordy agreed.

"Who'sRegis and Kelly?"

Cordy smiled. "Have I got a surprise for you!"

Angel had gotten cable installed the previous day and Katherine now had 200 channels to choose from. She spentthe remainder of the morning with the remote in her hand flipping channels up and down. Cordelia managed to pry her away long enough to get dressed and brush her teeth.

Angel returned a little after noon, covered in slime but in one piece.

Angel walked over to the couch where his daughter was sitting. "How 'bout a big hug?" he asked, holding out his slime covered arms.

"Yuk!" she said and Angel laughed.

"Where's Wesley," Cordy asked.

Angelcarefully peeled off his coat. "He went home to shower and change. He'll be in later."

Cordelia noticed the little drops of goo falling from his coat. "Maybe you should do the same," she suggested.

"I don't think I tell you often enough how much I appreciate you," he said with a wicked smile. "Gimme a hug," he said as he started towards her.

Cordelia leaned down and picked up the broadsword. "Touch me and die," she said with an equally wicked smile.

Angel shook his head sadly and started up the stairs. "Nobody ever wants a hug anymore."

The rest of the day was a flurry of activity. Fred and Gunn had arrived with paint, buckets, rollers, and brushes. Everyone pitched in and did whatever they could.

Lorne wasn't much with a paintbrush, but he brought in a boombox and CDs and kept things lively. Katherine remembered her promise to Angel not to be rude,but she was respectful from adistance.

By bedtime, Katherine's room was finished. The walls were a cheerful shade of yellow with bright white on the trim. There was a border along the ceiling with unicorns and rainbows.

Angel and Gunn had found bedroom furniture in one of the rooms on the 4th floor that was made of white wicker and they brought it down for her.

Once everything was in place, Cordy and Fred put her new sheets and comforter on her bed and Wesley hung her curtains.

When everything was done, they all looked around and admired their work.

Angel knelt down beside Katherine. "What do you think?" he asked her.

She took a long look around. "It's the prettiest room I ever saw," she declared. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I love you."

Angel froze. Did she say "I love it" or "I love you?"

He leaned his head back and looked at her. "What did you say?"

"I love you," she repeated. Angel put his arms around her and hugged her tight.

He was reveling in the joy of his daughter's pronouncement when a voice called out from down the hallway, "Where's our little girl?"

Everyone looked toward the door as Fred's parents, The Berkels, appeared with big smiles.

"There she is," the said in unison.

Fred grinned shyly and held out her arms. Mr. and Mrs. Berkle raised their arms and rushed into the room, past Fred, and sandwiched Katherine between them in a hug.

Fred pouted and looked at Angel, who shrugged and said, "If it makes you feel any better, they didn't hug me, either."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Berkles finally remembered Fred and went over to give her a hug.

"What are ya'll doin' here?" she asked them.

Her mother spoke first. "Well, after you called and told us about this little sweetheart being home, we started talking about all that stuff up in our attic from when you were little."

Mr. Berkle turned and shook hands with Wesley, Angel, and Gunn and gave Cordy a kiss.

"You wouldn't believe all the junk that was still up there," he told them. "There was baby dolls, and Barbie dolls, and doll houses, and books!. Lord, all the books!"

"That's our Fred," said Cordy.

Mrs. Berkle went over and took her husband's arm. "We started packing some of it up to send up here. We though Katherine might enjoy it."

Mr. Berkle interrupted. "But then I thought, why not just take a run up there ourselves and give it to her in person."

Fred's mother looked at Angel. "We always regretted not getting up here to see her when she was first born, and then…"

Not wanting anything to put a damper on the evening, Fred spoke up. "Well, I'm sure glad you did. I hope you brought the Barbie house."

She turned to Katherine, who had been following the conversation with interest. "It has furniture, and wallpaper, and electric lights, and real running water," she went on excitedly.

"Who's Barbie?" Katherine asked her.

"She's a clothes demon," Gunn answered.

Katherine looked at Fred. "He's kidding?" she guessed, beginning to get used to that.

Fred nodded. "He's kidding," she confirmed.

Mrs. Berkle sat down on Katherine's new bed and motioned for Katherine to come and sit next to her. Katherine did and Mrs. Berkle put an arm around her.

"What's your name?" Katherine wanted to know.

"Well, you can call me Grandma if you want to. And that," she pointed to her husband, "can be Grandpa. How would that be?"

Katherine nodded and smiled. She had never had grandparents before and she took an instantly liking to the Berkles.

Soon, everyone cleared out of Katherine's room so that she could get ready for bed. After her bath, she asked her new Grandpa to read her a story. He read her three. After that, Angel came up tucked her into her new bed.

"You gonna be okay in here by yourself?" he asked her as he kissed her goodnight.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "You going to be okay in there by yourself?"

He laughed. "I'll do my best." He told her goodnight and went downstairs.

Everyone was sitting in the lobby talking. Angel motioned to Wesley, who excused himself from the group. They went outside into the garden.

"It was nice of them to come and bring Katherine the toys," Wesley said.

"They're great," Angel agreed. "I'm glad they're here."

"You don't seem glad," Wesley observed. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," he confessed. "But not with the Berkles," he said as he sat down. "Katherine doesn't really have any family except me. It'll be good for her to have someone to call Grandma and Grandpa."

Wesley joined him on the bench. "What then?"

"Upstairs just now…she told me she loved me," Angel told him sadly.

Wesley looked confused. "I don't understand. That should make you feel…well, wonderful."

Angel got up and picked a leaf off a bush. "It was the best feeling I've ever had," he said.

Wesley still looked confused.

With no joy in his voice, Angel looked Wesley in the eye and said, "I've never felt so _happy_ in all my life."

Realization finally sunk in and Wesley stood up. "The curse. If you experience true happiness…"

Angel swallowed hard. "Wes, you've proven that you're willing to protect her. No matter what. I need to know that I can count on you for that."

Angel walked over to Wesley. "If I change…" he began.

Wesley shook his head and walked away. He stood silently for a moment, and as a thought occurred to him he turned back to face Angel. "The first time you turned, after you and Buffy…"

Angel nodded his understanding.

Wesley went on. "You had no knowledge of the curse then. You and Buffy were together, you were in love, and there was nothing to prevent you from experiencing total happiness."

"Yeah?" Angel said, not clear where Wesley was going with this.

"But if you had known about the curse, and what _could_ happen…"

The light bulb finally went off for Angel. "Knowing what could happen, and that I could hurt her would have kept me from being able to be truly happy!"

Wesley moved closer to Angel. "Simply knowing the existence of the curse, in essence, nullifies its threat."

Angel sat down hard. He put his head in his hands. "All this time, I was afraid…I thought if…"

Wesley sat down and put his hand on Angel's shoulder. "You're probably the first person in history who ever considered finding out they could never be truly happy good news."

Angel sat up. "This changes everything, Wesley. I mean…Buffy…" He glanced through the doors. "Cordy…"

"I imagine you'll have a lot to sort through. If I can help…" Wesley offered as he stood up.

Angel stood up and extended his hand to Wesley. "You have. More than you could ever know."

The two men shook hands and Wesley went back inside to rejoin the Berkles.

Angel sat and listened to the laughter coming from inside the hotel as Fred's parents entertained everyone with stories about Fred when she was Katherine's age. Wesley was right. He had a lot to think about.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Katherine woke to the smell of blueberry pancakes and bacon. She sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Good morning," said her father from the chair beside her bed.

"I thought this was supposed to be my room," she said.

"It is. I was just…visiting."

"Are you planning to _visit_ me every night?" she asked.

"Why don't we play it by ear?" he suggested.

"Something smells good," she said as she climbed out of bed.

She sniffed around and followed her nose through the connecting door to Angel's room. There, she found Grandma in the kitchen cooking. On the table was a plate of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sliced fruit, and large pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"I thought you kids might like some breakfast," she told them as she brought a second stack of pancakes to the table. "I peeked in on Katherine earlier and saw you both asleep. I hope you don't mind me helping myself to your stove."

Angel gazed in awe at the amount of food on the table. "Not at all. I appreciate it…really. It's just that…"

He didn't want to hurt her feelings but the truth was, his breakfast usually consisted of more drinking than eating and, Katherine was only six.

"…I don't know what to eat first."

There was a knock on the door and Katherine ran to answer it. It was Fred and Gunn.

Angel brightened. "Fred! Gunn! Good to see you. Come on in. Have some breakfast."

"Well, are you sure there's enough?" Fred asked.

"Positive," Angel assured her. "Sit here." He pulled out a chair for her and they all sat down.

"Where's Daddy?" Fred asked her mother.

"He and Wesley and Lorne have had their heads together about something since early this morning," she told her. "I can't imagine what that's all about."

Angel welcomed an opportunity to escape breakfast. "Why don't I go on down there and see what's up?" he offered.

""Don't you want your breakfast first?" Mrs. Berkle asked him.

Fred leaned in towards her mother. "Mama, Angel's not really a breakfast person." Her mother stared at her blankly.

"Or a lunch person," Fred continued. "Or a dinner person?"

Katherine helped her out. "He only drinks blood," she said casually.

There was another knock at the door. This time Angel answered it. Mr. Berkle, Wesley, and Lorne were all standing in the hall, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey guys. Want some breakfast?" Angel stepped aside and gestured them in.

"Mornin' all," said Mr. Berkle as he walked over to the table. He kissed his wife on the cheek and Fred and Katherine on the head.

"You certainly are in a good mood this morning," his wife observed.

"And there's a very good reason for that. You are looking at the man who just purchased the last seven seats on the Moonlight Cruise on the Lady of the Sea."

"The what?" she asked.

"The most luxurious ship on the west coast. And this weekend only, performing live and in person, is Tony Bennett!"

"No!" She exclaimed.

"Yes!" he insisted.

She covered her mouth with her hands as her husband explained to the rest of the group.

"We saw Tony Bennett on a cruise ship on our honeymoon. We always said we were going to take another cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, that passed us up last year. What with Fred being missing and all, well, we just didn't much feel like it."

Fred stood up and hugged her father. "I'm so sorry that you both had to go through that."

"Now don't you be sad, honeybunch. It just so happens that today is our 26th and, thanks to Lorne here and his connections, we're all going to go see Tony Bennett together tonight!"

Everyone was very excited about the planned evening. Cordelia, Fred, and Mrs. Berkle made plans to go dress shopping after breakfast. Cordelia turned to Angel.

"If your tux needs cleaning, just lay it out and we can drop it off."

Angel looked uncomfortable. "Thanks, but…I can't go," he said, nodding in Katherine's direction.

Mr. Berkle spoke up. "Got that covered, young man. Since Lorne can't exactly go out and mingle with your everyday folk, he's offered to babysit."

Angel half-smiled at Lorne. "That's really nice of you…and I appreciate it but…"

"Now I'm not taking no for an answer. This is a celebration for family, and you're family," Fred's father said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Angel looked at Katherine. "Would it be okay with you if Lorne stayed with you?"

Katherine was torn. On the one hand, Lorne was a demon. On the other hand, she didn't want to disappoint Grandma and Grandpa. She guessed she could stay in her room and avoid him for one night.

"I guess it's okay," she said reluctantly.

Mr. Berkle clapped his hands together. "Great! It's settled. Now let's eat!"

Everyone looked magnificent as they left the hotel that evening. Mr. Berkle had even ordered a limo to drive them to and from the ship. Katherine stood beside Lorne and waved goodbye to her father with a smile.

When the limo was out of site, she turned to Lorne and said, "I'm going to my room and you better stay away from me." From a safe distance, she added, "Demon."

She walked up the stairs and into her room and locked the door.

Lorne guessed this was going to be the easiest babysitting job anyone ever had. He poured himself a drink and sat down to watch some television.

Upstairs, Katherine had changed into her pajamas and was lying in her bed trying to go to sleep. She heard something above her head. She tried to ignore it. Then she heard something outside her window. She ignored that, too. She heard something out in the hallway. Hugging her Spike dog close, she walked slowly to her bedroom door and unlocked it. She eased the door open and cautiously peeked out. Empty.

As she walked back to her bed, one of the new dolls Grandma and Grandpa had brought her fell off of the shelf by her bed and landed on her neck. She screamed.

Lorne was half asleep in front of the local news when he heard Katherine screaming from upstairs. Taking the stairs three at a time, he reached her quickly. He flipped on her light and saw her standing frozen next to her bed, the doll on the floor beside her.

"What is it?" he asked frantically. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him, terrified. "Something attacked me."

Lorne walked over and picked up the doll. "Did it look something like this?"

Katherine realized it was only her doll that had fallen on her, which made her feel a little better, but she was still afraid. "I heard something, too. A lot of somethings."

Lorne sat down on her bed so that he was at her eye level. "You know, an old hotel like this can have a lot of personality. The sounds it makes are like its language.

Katherine looked skeptical. "Buildings shouldn't talk."

"Do you think you can go to sleep?" he asked her.

Katherine looked doubtfully at her bed. Lorne was aching to help her.

"Would you like to know what I do when I can't sleep?"

She had resolved to hate him. He was demon, after all. But anything was better than staying in this room alone. "Sure," she said.

He held out his hand and, to his surprise, she took it and allowed him to lead her downstairs.

He rifled through some CDs until he found what he was looking for. When the music started, he stood in front of Katherine and said, "Here we go Lambchop. Watch and learn."

Angel, Fred, Cordy, Wesley, Gunn, and the Berkles had a wonderful evening. Angel had exercised great restraint and had not called home once. It was well past 1:00 in the morning as they walked to the door of the hotel. Angel noticed that all the lights in the lobby were on. Afraid something might be wrong, they hurried inside and were shocked by what they found.

A makeshift curtain had been strung from staircase to staircase. Music was blaring from the stereo. Lorne and Katie were dressed in black pants and white T-shirts. They were wearing top hats and carrying umbrellas. As the music cued them, they linked arms and belted out the chorus of Cabaret.

Everyone watched, first in amazement, then in delight as they sang and danced. They were good! When the song was over, their applause filled the room. Katherine and Lorne took a bow and Katherine then ran to her father.

"Did you see me?" "Was I good?"

Angel swung her high. "You were fabulous!" he gushed.

"Uncle Lorne taught me," she said.

Angel raised an eyebrow in Lorne's direction. "Uncle Lorne?"

"What can I tell you? Nothing bonds like show tunes. Kid's got a hell of a voice, too. Clearly takes after her mother in that department."

Angel glared at Lorne. Katie yawned in his arms.

"I'd better get you to bed, young lady."

"Can Uncle Lorne put me to bed?" she asked.

Angel kissed her head and handed her off to Lorne. "Okay, but I don't want to hear any tap dancing up there."

Angel watched them go up the stairs. One more hurdle crossed. Things were good.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Angel, Gunn, and Wesley were quickly gathering weapons from the cabinet, mostly of the wooden variety as Cordy's vision had been of a vampires nest downtown.

Katie was again begging to be included.

"Please? I know how to kill a vampire," she informed them, "you just stake 'em through the heart."

She demonstrated her professed skill on the imaginary vampire in front of her with the stake she held in her hand.

Gunn was half observing her from the corner of his eye. "Uh, huh," he commented doubtfully. "Whatca gonna do, say, Hey Mister Vampire, you mind leaning down here so I can ram this stake through your chest, cos, that'd probably work?"

Katie scowled at him and stomped off, presumably to her room.

Angel didn't have time to go after her and Fred was having a day out with her parents. He gave Cordy a pleading look.

She waved him away. "Yeah, yeah. I'll take care of it. Go."

"Thanks. I owe you one."

"You owe me thousands, but who's counting?" she said.

The men hurried to Angel's waiting car, quickly dumped their weapons in the trunk, and got in.

When they reached the abandoned warehouse where Cordelia's vision had led them, everything looked quiet. As they entered the building, Angel carefully searched to the left while Gunn and Wesley went the other way. Just as Wesley reached a particularly shadowy area, a vampire jumped from above and knocked him to the ground.

"Over here," Gunn called to Angel.

Suddenly, there was not one, but a dozen vampires surrounding them. The went to work, Angel taking on two or three at a time while Wesley and Gunn worked mainly as a team. They were disposing of the vampires in pretty short order until Angel heard a familiar scream coming from the entrance.

Total fear gripped him as he saw the biggest of the vampires standing approximately 100 feet away. Katherine was in his arms.

He started towards her but the vampire he had been fighting knocked him to the ground and then dived on him, pinning him. Within seconds the vampire turned to dust as Wesley staked him from behind.

Finally free, Angel looked back to Katherine and saw the huge vampire's fangs closing in on her neck. He grabbed the sword beside him and flung it low, severing the vamp's feet from its body. Katherine dropped to the ground and ran while Angel hurried over to finish the job.

Six dusted vamps later, it was finally quiet.

"Katie!" Angel looked frantically around the warehouse. "Katie, answer me! It's all right. You can come out. Katie, where are you?"

Near the entrance to the warehouse a crate moved slightly. Katie crept out from behind it and began walking slowly towards her father. Angel ran to her and swept her into his arms.

"Thank God. Are you hurt?" He held her away from him and gave her a quick once over.

Katie shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

Katie nodded.

"What the hell are you doing here? Do you realize you almost…" Angel couldn't finish. He didn't want to think about it. "How did you get here?" he asked.

"I hid under the blanket in the back of your car. I thought I could help you fight the vampires, but I guess they're too big after all."

Angel couldn't believe how casual she sounded. "That vampire almost BIT YOU," he yelled incredulously.

"I'm fine Daddy. I knew you'd save me." Katherine looked at him with wide trusting eyes.

With that, Angel knew what he had to do. He carried her over to a nearby crate and sat down, laying Katie across his lap. She knew instantly what was about to happen and waged a protest, but to no avail. Angel could not be deterred. He raised his hand high, acutely aware of his increased vampire strength. With measured force he brought his hand down, making contact with his daughter's behind. Katherine cried out and struggled to break free of her father's grasp but Angel held on tight. Five more times his hand rose and fell as his child pleaded with him to stop. When it was over he stood her on her feet and turned her to face him.

"Don't you ever, EVER do anything to put yourself in danger like this again. Do you understand?"

Katherine's eyes were filled with tears. She dropped her head down and her hands reached back to rub her stinging backside. Angel put his hand under her chin and pulled her head up to look at him.

His voice softened. "Do you understand?" he repeated.

"Yes," she answered as the tears spilled out and ran down her cheeks.

Angel picked her up and carried her out to the car. He deposited her in the back and Wesley slid in on the other side beside her. He reached over and comfortingly patted her hand. Angel and Gunn climbed in up front and the four of them rode home in silence except for the occasional sniffle from Katie.

Back at the hotel, Cordelia was going crazy. How was she ever going to tell Angel that she had lost his daughter? At first, she thought this was a game Katie was playing. Let's Play Hide and Seek Until We Drive Aunt Cordy to the Nuthouse maybe. But after looking in every corner and closet of the giant hotel for the past hour, Cordelia was not amused. In fact, she was downright frantic. What if someone had found out about Katie? Someone like Wolfram and Hart. What if they had kidnapped her…or worse? Angel could not bear to lose his child a second time. She had to find her. She just had to.

Lorne! Maybe she could call Lorne and he could pick up some sort of vibe. Quickly she raced to the phone. Just as she picked up the receiver, the front door opened and Gunn and Wesley walked in. Angel wasn't with them. Good! Maybe Gunn and Wesley could help her stall until she could get in touch with Lorne.

She began blurting, "Guys. You have to help me. I don't know what to do. It's Katie. She's…she's…"

Cordelia looked toward the door. "She's right there. Oh my God! She's right there!"

Angel and Katie were standing in the doorway. She ran to the little girl and squeezed her tight.

"Where were you? You nearly gave Aunt Cordy a heart attack, honey."

Angel spoke up. "She stowed away in the car. She was right there in the middle of everything."

Cordy looked down at Katie. "Why would you do something like that? Katie, that was so dangerous."

"You got that right," Gunn confirmed. "She was about half a fang away from being a vamp snack.

He turned and looked at Angel. "You know, you almost didn't make it in time. What's up with that man? You're startin' to move like a 270 year old."

Cordy led Katie over to the couch. "Are you hurt? You look like you've been crying."

Katherine shot Angel a quick glance, then turned back to Cordelia with her saddest eyes. "Daddy spanked me," she tattled.

Cordy was shocked. She had pretty much taken Angel for a pushover when it came to being a father. One more story, one more ice cream cone, one more roller coaster ride. Angel couldn't seem to say no to his daughter about anything. She couldn't believe he would ever punish her. She looked questioningly at Gunn and Wesley, who turned away before she could read them.

With a comforting smile, Cordelia reached out and smoothed down a piece of Katherine's hair. "Your clothes are filthy. Why don't you go upstairs and change into something clean and wash your hands and face, okay?"

"Okay." Katie turned and started up the stairs, but not before shooting one more accusing look in Angel's direction.

Her shot found its mark. Angel felt as though he had been punched in the stomach.

Once she was sure the girl was upstairs and out of earshot, Cordy turned on Angel. "Please tell me you did not hit that little girl."

Angel walked into the office and sat down behind his desk. Cordy followed on his heels.

"Angel?"

He began randomly shuffling and stacking papers.

"Say something, damn it!" she demanded.

He looked up, angry. "What do you want me to say?" he yelled. "Yes! I spanked her! You think I wanted to do it? I'd rather cut off my arm, BOTH ARMS, than hurt her like that. I didn't have a choice! She thinks this is all some great game we're playing. And now she wants to play, too. Well, today it just got way too close. Gunn was right. Another half-second…"

Angel leaned back in his chair. He looked tired.

His voice was calmer now. "Look, I wish I had these last six years back. I could raise her from Day One with a healthy respect for the dangers involved in what we do. That way, safety would just slowly become a natural part of her life. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of time. She needs a crash course and she needs it now. I may not always get there in time to save her, and I won't lose her. Not again. I'd rather her be hurt a little bit now than badly hurt or killed…or worse…next time."

Cordelia saw the pain in Angel's face and her own anger dissolved.

"I guess you'd know a little something about the "or worse" part, huh?"

"Yeah. And that's never going to happen to her. Not ever. I don't care what I have to do."

There was a moment or two of awkward silence. Angel looked towards the stairway.

"So. I guess someone should probably go up there and talk to her. Make sure she understands that this was really for her own good and that she's still loved and all that."

He glanced sideways at Cordy. "Let me know how it goes, okay?" He tried hopefully.

Cordelia stood up and backed away. "Oh, no. You did it, you explain it." She smiled. "But I'll be right there in spirit thinking those good thoughts and all."

Cordelia was almost out the door when Angel spoke. "Cordy?"

She turned back around.

"What if she hates me now?"

Cordelia raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "Dads don't always get to be popular. The important thing is that they get to keep on being dads."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Angel walked through his apartment and knocked softly on the door that connected his room to Katie's. Knowing that Cordelia would have knocked on the hallway door, Katie deduced that her father was the one knocking.

"Go away!" she called.

Angel opened the door and stepped inside. "Afraid I can't do that. We need to talk," he said.

Katherine was lying on her bed with her back to him. "I don't want to talk. I'm mad at you," she informed him.

"That's okay. You can be mad if you want," he allowed, "but you still have to listen, okay?"

She shrugged. Angel considered insisting that she look at him but decided not to press it.

"What's important is that you know that _I'm _not mad at _you_. He sat down at the foot of the bed. "I want to explain why I…did what I did."

Nothing. Clearly, this conversation was going to be strictly one-sided.

"I'm sure you've already figured out that I am not exactly the strictest father in the world. Maybe things would have been different if I hadn't lost you. I don't know. But I can't seem to help it now. What I want now, almost more than anything, is to make you happy. Almost."

Angel got up and moved closer to the head of the bed, nearer Katherine.

"What I want most is to keep you safe."

He absently fiddled with the ring on his finger. "Look, I'm still figuring out this whole parent thing. I'm sure you're going to mess up and I'm going to have to come down on you a little. No big deal. But taking dangerous chances with your life, that is a big deal. The biggest. And when that happens, I'm going to come down hard. Because it's too important. You, are too important."

He put his arm across her and rested his hand on the bed, leaning over her slightly. "So, that's what happened today." He touched her shoulder. "Hey, look at me."

She turned her head slightly and he continued. "I want you to remember that I love you, no matter what mistakes you make. And that will never change. Okay?"

Katherine turned away again. "Whatever," was all she said.

Okay. Not exactly the warm and fuzzy he was going for. Angel groped for a new angle.

"Hey, how 'bout some dinner? We could make spaghetti. I got some of that garlic bread you like."

"I'm not hungry," she said flatly.

"Okay. Well, maybe later," Angel said hopefully.

"Maybe not," she countered.

Boy, she was not going to make this easy. He got up from her bed and softly closed her door on his way out. Cordelia was waiting for him on the couch in his room.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"Not great," he confessed. "I was right. She hates me."

Cordy patted the couch cushion next to her and he sat down.

"She does not hate you. She's just pouting. Kids do that. Give her a little time, she'll get over it."

Angel brightened a little. "Hey, do you think she'd like a bike?"

Cordelia crossed her arms and sighed. "Look, Buster. You can't go buying her a bunch of presents she doesn't deserve just because she turns on the deep freeze. That's just rewarding bad behavior. You did the right thing today. It was rough but you got through it. Don't undo it now. This parent thing is brutal. You got to be prepared to hang tough.

She picked up the video game controller. "What you need is a little distraction. How about a game of Monster Cars?" she asked.

"Not really in the mood. I think I'll just go lie down and read a little."

Cordy got up. "Okay, I can't deal with both of you pouting. I'm going home. See you in the morning?"

"Whatever," he said, echoing his daughter.

He rummaged around the shelf in his room and selected what appeared to be a marginally interesting book and sat down on the bed. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

Hours later he woke to the sound of Katherine screaming again. His mind immediately flashed to the image of the vampire that had nearly killed her six hours earlier. He sprang from his bed and burst into her room.

He looked around. No vampire, just a screaming little girl clutching a little clown dog.

He scooped her up and held her. "Sshhh. It's okay. It's okay." He rubbed her hair and soothed her. "Sshhh." "Daddy's got you."

He sat down on the bed with her. She clung desperately to him as she cried.

"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked gently.

She nodded her head.

"Do you want to sleep in my bed?"

She nodded again.

Angel picked her up and carried her to his room. He put her in bed and slid in beside her.

She immediately snuggled close.

"Better?" he asked. She nodded.

He thought of asking what her nightmare was about, but decided morning would be a better time. He put his arm around her and began to doze. Her voice brought him out of his half-sleep.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry about tonight. You were right. Those vampires could have gotten me."

He squeezed her close. "Is that what your dream was about?"

She nodded that it was. "It wasn't like I thought it would be. They were so scary…and so big. In my dream, I tried to fight them, but they were too strong. They turned me into a little girl vampire," she recalled.

Angel squeezed her to him. "Try to think about something else. Think about…Grandma and Grandpa taking you to the circus tomorrow," he suggested.

Katherine tried. She was excited about going to the circus, but her mind wandered back to the subject of vampires.

"Daddy?" she asked again.

"Hmm?"

"If you're a vampire, and my mother was a vampire," she looked up at him, "what am I?"

Angel sat up on his elbow and smiled down at her. "You," he said, touching his finger to her nose, "are a miracle."

She smiled back at him and closed her eyes. Father and daughter slept peacefully the rest of the night.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Angel was in his bathroom brushing his teeth when Katherine appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, babe," he mumbled through a mouth full of toothpaste. "What's up?"

"When's 10:00?" she wanted to know.

He spit out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth. "In about 45 minutes," he said, checking his watch.

The blank expression on her face indicated to him that that number meant nothing to her either.

"Soon," he simplified. "Why?"

"Grandma and Grandpa said we were leaving at 10:00," she explained.

He saw that she had already gotten dressed in a pair of red shorts and a red and yellow tank top. In her hand she was holding a comb, ponytail holder, and bright yellow ribbon, which she held up to him.

"Will you do my hair?"

Angel visibly recoiled. He could not have been more horrified if she had been holding live snakes. "Me?" he croaked out. "Where's Cordy?"

Katie shrugged. "Dunno. Can't you do it?"

Her father tried to psyche himself up for the challenge. He smiled weakly. "Okay, how hard can it be?" He took the comb from her with the seriousness as a surgeon taking a scalpel. "Turn around."

With some effort, he managed to get most of her hair gathered up with the comb and loosely wrapped the ponytail holder around it.

"There," he said, looking pleased with himself.

"What about this?" Katherine asked, holding up the ribbon.

"Oh, right." He took the ribbon and tied it in a knot around the ponytail that had already begun sliding down the back of her head. "How's that?" he asked.

Katherine climbed up onto the sink and looked in the mirror at herself.

"Are you sure that's the way it's supposed to look?" she asked doubtfully.

Angel cocked his head right, then left. "How about you just wear it down today?" he suggested.

"Good idea," Katherine gladly agreed.

As Angel was taking her hair down, there was a knock on the door. Expecting her grandparents, Katherine ran to answer it. She did her best to mask her disappointment when Wesley was revealed to be the one on the other side of the door.

"Good morning, Katherine. How are you today?"

"Fine."

"May I come in?" he asked politely.

Katherine stepped back from the door and called to her father, "Daddy, it's…" She wasn't sure how to finish. "What do I call you?" she asked him.

Wesley came into the living room just as Angel did.

Angel answered for him. "Well, you have Aunt Cordy, Grandma, and Grandpa. How about we keep things all in the family and make it Uncle Wesley, Uncle Gunn, and Aunt Fred, too?"

He looked at Wesley for approval. "If that's okay with you."

Wesley smiled. "I'd be honored." He looked at the child. "Katherine?"

Katherine hesitated. She hadn't quite made up her mind about Wesley yet. He seemed nice enough, but there was something about him, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Not wanting to risk offending her newest relative, she decided to be cooperative. "Okay," she agreed.

"Was there something you needed?" Angel asked Wesley.

"Yes, a personal matter." He looked at Katherine. "But if this is a bad time…"

"Why don't you go down and see if Grandma and Grandpa are ready yet," Angel suggested to Katie. The little girl was delighted to do so and hurried off.

Angel gestured toward the couch. "You want to sit?"

"Yes, thank you." Wesley took a seat on the couch and Angel sat in the chair across from him.

Wesley got to the point. "I was wondering what you had decided to do," he said vaguely.

Angel clasped his hands together and sat back. "About what?"

"About your…revelation the other night."

"Nothing," he said flatly.

Wesley was bewildered. "Nothing? But, why? I mean, you seemed to thinkthis might…change things."

"Well, I was wrong," Angel informed him.

"Did something happen?" Wesley pressed..

Angel got up and picked up a few of Katherine's toys that were lying around. "Yeah. I got smart." He walked into his daughter's room and unloaded his armful of toys.

He walked back into his apartment and leaned on the back of the chair he had just vacated. He shook his head. "How could I have thought for one second that Buffy and I could just live happily ever after now…just because I can make love to her without turning into a monster? It was never just about that. It was never that simple."

He came back around and sat down. "Whether I'm evil or good, I'm still a vampire. She's still human. Nothing's changed."

Wesley leaned forward. "I'm not sure Buffy would agree with that assessment. Don't you think she would at least want to be consulted? To have the chance to tell you how she feels?"

Angel put his elbows on his knees and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't keep doing this to her. She just lost her mother. She has Dawn now. What if I stir up all those feelings and then have to walk away again. It's not fair."

"To her, or to you?"

Angel thought this over. "Both."

"But, there's something else," Wesley speculated.

He sat back and looked at Wesley. "Look, I just got my daughter back and things are going great. Now, suddenly, I don't have that damn curse hanging over my head anymore. It just seems to me I've been given an awful lot lately. I'm afraid that if I start to get too greedy…"

"It might all go away?" Wesley finished.

"Yeah."

Wesley got up to go. As he opened the door to leave, they could hear Katie squealing with delight as her grandparents announced that it was time to go to the circus. She would be gone most of the day.

He turned back to Angel. "Well, it's only my opinion, but…things seem to somehow work out the way they're supposed to. You might consider trusting that."

Angel closed the door behind Wesley and walked back to his bedroom. As he sat down on the bed, he looked at the phone beside it. Should he follow his head, or his heart?


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Katherine had a wonderful day with her new Grandma and Grandpa. They had lunch at a restaurant where the staff dressed as storybook characters. Never having heard the stories, Katie didn't recognize most of them. So, throughout lunch as each new character appeared, Grandpa would tell her that story. He was surprised how much he was able to remember from when Fred was a little girl. Story time had always been his specialty and he was happy to have an opportunity to do it all over again with Katie.

After lunch, they were off to the circus. Katherine was a little afraid of the loud horns on the clown cars and she climbed into Grandpa's lap when the lions appeared, but overall she was enthralled. She was mesmerized by the trapeze artists and held her breath as the tightrope walker made his way across on a unicycle. She had a snowcone and popcorn but Grandma, experienced in the area of children's digestion, cut her off there.

After the circus, they took her to the airport where Grandpa attempted to explain the aerodynamics involved in keeping the planes in the air. Katherine wanted to go for a ride on one of the planes and Grandpa promised he would ask her father about letting her come for a visit to Texas by plane sometime.

They had dinner at a hamburger shop in the airport and then headed back to the hotel. It was after 8:00 when they returned. Katherine bounced into the lobby looked for her father. Not finding him there, she went into the office to look. She found Wesley there instead.

"Where's my daddy?" she asked him.

Wesley looked up from the book he was studying and smiled. "Hello there. Um, your father had to go out for a bit. Did you have a nice time at the circus?"

Katherine proceeded to recount the events of the day. As she talked, the Berkles came into the office.

"…see them in Texas sometime if Daddy says it's okay," Katie finished.

"I'm sure that would be lovely," Wesley told her.

"Where's that daddy of yours?" Grandpa asked Katie.

"Wes…I mean, Uncle Wesley said he had to go someplace," she answered.

"I really couldn't say what time he'll return," Wesley told the Berkles. "I suppose I could try calling him," he said, reaching for the phone.

Mrs. Berkle waved him off. "No need. We'll manage just fine, won't we darlin'?" she asked Katherine. "I'll go start her bath."

Grandpa picked Katie up. "While she's doin' that, how about I tell you the one about the girl who had hair made out of gold?"

Katherine nodded enthusiastically and the three of them made their way upstairs.

Wesley stared after them. He wondered how things were going in Sunnydale. Angel hadn't said much, only that he had decided to go and see Buffy in person rather than calling her. Wesley supposed they must have had a lot to talk as since Angel had been gone since morning.

After Katherine had finished her bath and coaxed Grandpa into three more bedtime stories, the Berkles kissed her goodnight and closed her door. They decided to make a pot of coffee and relax in Angel's apartment until he got home so they wouldn't be too far away in case Katherine woke up.

Katherine closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. Her mind was still racing with the days events. She decided her favorite part of the circus was when the lady and man walked on the tightrope. She wanted to learn how to do that, too. Deciding that there was no time like the present, she crept out of her bed and quietly opened the door that led from her room to the hallway. She tiptoed down the hall and peeked over the railing into the lobby. The coast was clear.

She carefully climbed up onto the railing and stood up straight. Slowly, she began to make her way across to the other side. She was doing pretty well, too, until Cordelia and Fred came in from the garden and saw her. The two women screamed in unison, bringing Wesley running from the office and the Berkles from Angel's room. The commotion startled Katherine, who lost her balance and fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

"Oh my Lord!" exclaimed Mrs. Berkle as she and her husband made their way down the stairs.

Cordelia was frozen, petitioning God in her own mind to please not let Katherine be dead. Fred and Wesley were kneeling in front of the girl and Cordy couldn't see if she was moving or not. There was no crying. She prayed to hear crying.

Forcing herself to get moving, she walked toward them. As she got closer, she could hear Wesley's voice.

"…you sure? You don't hurt anywhere?" he was asking Katie, amazed.

Cordy could see Katherine's face now and it was smiling.

"I feel fine, Uncle Wesley. It was fun!"

Cordelia pushed her way through to Katherine and threw her arms around her. "Oh, my God, I thought you were dead."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Not that I'm not grateful and all, but…Why isn't she?" She looked at Wesley. "I mean she did just fall 25 feet onto a marble floor."

Wesley looked up at the railing. "More like 30, I'd say."

Cordy stopped squeezing Katherine long enough to look at Wesley. "Then how…"

Wesley met her gaze with a look that told her that she already knew the answer.

As the five of them looked down at the little girl, they all realized they knew the answer. Katherine was no ordinary child.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The hotel was quiet when Angel returned around midnight. He walked softly into his daughter's room and nearly fell over Mr. Berkle. Having decided not to risk any further escapades, Grandma and Grandpa had strategically positioned themselves in chairs on either side of Katie's bed. Angel's stumbling woke them up.

Grandpa's eyes strained to focus on Angel. "What the…"

"It's okay. It's just me," Angel whispered. "Why don't we go in my room?"

Mr. Berkle walked around to the other side of the bed and retrieved his sleepy wife. Both followed Angel into the other room.

Angel was full of questions. "How was the circus?" Did she have fun?" Was she scared of the animals?"

"Whoa. Slow down there son," Mr. Berkle told him. "We had a fine day. I'm sure she'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

"Okay, I guess I can wait until then." He walked them to the door. "I really appreciate you taking her out today. I know it meant a lot to her. She really loves you guys."

Mrs. Berkle squeezed his shoulder. "It was our pleasure. I hope she's not too tired in the morning. We had quite a day…and night." She and her husband exchanged knowing glances.

Angel looked concerned. "Did she have a nightmare?"

Mr. Berkle was quick to reassure him. "No, nothing like that. Why?"

"Well, because it's okay to just put her to bed and leave," Angel said. "Even I don't sit in the room with her all night." He thought for a moment. "Well, not anymore," he corrected.

It had been unanimously decided that Cordelia would be the best person to fill Angel in on the evening's events and his daughter's apparent uniqueness. The Berkles smiled and bid Angel good night and left without mentioning anything.

Angel closed the door softly and turned around to his empty room. It felt especially empty tonight. _He _felt especially empty. He supposed it would take some time to get used to that feeling. He walked into Katherine's room and pulled the cover up over her small shoulder. Leaning over, he kissed her softly on the head and went to his own bed.

As he lay there, his mind retraced his day in Sunnydale. He had gone there to see Buffy. He had decided to take Wesley's advice and put all his cards on the table and trust fate with the outcome. Only he never got the chance. He had seen Buffy all right, but Buffy wasn't alone.

He was having a difficult time wrapping his mind around what he had seen. He knew when he left Sunnydale that eventually Buffy would move on. That's what he wanted, after all. That was the reason he left. He wanted her to have the life he knew he could never give her. The life he suspected he still could never give her. If he truly believed in fate, then he had to accept it, good or bad. And if fate had decided that Buffy and he were not meant to be, then he could accept that. What he couldn't accept was…

No. He sprang from his bed and went into the living room and poured himself a drink. He flipped the stereo on and turned it down low. Sitting down on the couch, he skimmed through a magazine looking for something else to occupy his mind. Settling on an article about the impact of nutrition on children's test scores (who wouldn't fall asleep to that?), he read and drank until he finally drifted off.

The next morning Katie was up early. She ran to her father's bed and jumped on him.

"Wake up, Daddy!" she said, a little too cheerfully for Angel, who had not been able to fall asleep until just a few hours earlier.

"Hey, there, sweetheart," he said, trying to match her cheerfulness. He fell a little short.

"Did Grandma and Grandpa tell you about what happened?" she asked.

"They said you had a great time."

"No, I mean about last night," she said vaguely.

Angel sat up and looked at his daughter. "What about last night?" he asked with slight trepidation.

As Katherine elaborated on her adventure the previous evening, Angel's trepidation turned to full-blown panic.

"You what?!" He exclaimed as he began putting on his pants and shoes.

"Can I work with you now, like the others?"

Angel didn't answer. He was too busy heading downstairs to find someone to yell at.

"Why don't you get some clothes on and brush your teeth. I'll be right back," he called back to her.

Fred, her parents, Cordy, Gunn, Wesley, and Lorne were all downstairs.

"Would somebody mind telling me what the hell went on here last night?" was Angel's greeting.

Fred looked at Cordelia and said under her breath, "I thought you were going to talk to him."

Cordy was dumbfounded. "Hello? Does he look like he's been up more than five seconds?"

She got up and tried to head Angel off before he reached the rest of the group. He sidestepped around her and stood in front of them.

"Was anyone planning to mention that my daughter fell 30 feet from the balcony last night?" he asked no one in particular.

Cordelia stood beside him. "I was planning to fill you in first thing this morning, which is right about, oh, say, now."

Angel took a moment and calmed down. He sat on the arm of the couch and folded his hands in his lap. "Okay. What happened?"

Cordy recounted the events of the night before with an occasional interjection from Fred. When she was finished, Angel was silent.

Finally, Cordelia tentatively spoke. "What are you going to do?"

Angel tried to sound casual. "Well, it's not like it's all that big of a surprise. She is the child of two super beings, right?"

He looked around at his friends. "What am I going to do, complain that my child is too healthy and too strong?" He stood up and shook his head. "No, this is…this is good," he said, trying to convince himself as he paced.

"What now?" asked Gunn.

Angel thought for a moment and then turned to the others. "Well, after breakfast, I think it would be nice if Katie and her Uncle Lorne put on a little show for us."

Even Lorne, who would perform at the drop of a hat, was skeptical. "Angelpie, I don't really think this is…"

Angel interrupted. "I need you to read her. If she's…special, then I need to know why. Whatever her destiny is, I need to know how to help her get there."

Cordelia walked over and took his hands. "Whatever happens, you're not alone."

Maybe he didn't feel so empty after all.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Katie was dressed when Angel returned upstairs. "Want to have a tea party with me?" she asked him.

"Not right now. I have something else I'd like for you to do this morning," he told her.

"What?"

"After breakfast," he said.

When she was finished eating, she and Angel joined the group downstairs and Lorne suggested the impromptu mini-concert. Katherine was happy to oblige and they sang "Wherever You Go" for their tiny audience.

After the applause had died down, Angel motioned to the Berkles, who suggested to Katherine that they go to the park across the street. Katie was thrilled and off they went.

As the front door closed, all eyes were on Lorne.

Angel approached him. "Well?"

Lorne went to pour himself a drink. Angel followed closely. "Lorne? What did you see?"

He took a long swig and leaned against the desk behind him. "You were right. Her destiny is very specific, like yours."

"Like mine?"

Lorne looked Angel in the eye. "Exactly like yours."

Angel was getting impatient. "So what does that mean?"

"The two of you are connected. Completely. If you want to know the best way to take care of your daughter, then take care of yourself."

Angel frowned. "I don't follow."

"And I'm not sure you're ready to," Lorne told him.

"Lorne, I have to know why she's here. What her purpose is. Is she pivotal in some coming Apocalypse or what?" Angel asked.

Lorne stared in to his drink. "She's here for you, Bro. Just for you. When you won a second chance at life for Darla and it couldn't be granted, you were owed one. That little girl is payment. Her life is yours as long as you exist."

Realization sunk in. Angel sought out a chair and sat down slowly. "She's immortal?"

"As immortal as you, anyway," Lorne shrugged.

Angel thought about what this would mean. "She's someone I'll never have to lose," he said quietly.

He walked into his office and sat down behind his desk. Cordelia followed and came around to his side of the desk and leaned back on it, facing him.

"I don't think I've ever thought about what it must be like for you. I guess when you're eternal you eventually lose everyone, huh?"

Angel was still basically numb. "Pretty much," he managed to say.

"This definitely changes your basic parenting strategies. She can take candy from strangers, run with sharp objects, play with guns and, It's all good!" Cordelia pointed out.

Angel was not amused. "Being immortal isn't all it's cracked up to be. It can get pretty lonely. And there's a lot of responsibility. Just because you're safe, doesn't mean those around you are. She's going to have to learn to be careful for the sake of others."

Cordelia reassured him. "And she will. Angel, this is an incredible gift. Don't ruin it with a whole lot of worry and doubt. You and your daughter will never be lonely. You'll always have each other."

She reached down and took his hand. "And you have me. I may not always look as gorgeous as I do now, but I'm here. For as long as you want."

Angel smiled and squeezed her hand. "Thanks. I think I just need to sit here and soak some of this in."

She got up to leave. "I'll be around. We'll talk more."

As Angel sat and thought about the days revelations he was able to make peace with certain truths. One truth in particular stood out.

Life without Buffy didn't have to mean life without love.

He realized that another girl already owned his heart completely. That afternoon, Angel put on his best suit and nicest cologne. Armed with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, he knocked on her door.

She opened the door and beamed at the site of him.

He beamed right back. "Did someone say something about a tea party?"

Katherine jumped into his arms and he swung her high.

Life was good.

The End

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who read my story. It is my first fanfic, so please let me know what you thought. It could be that you think it should also be my last! I hope not as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks again.


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